SWAK
by kensi54382
Summary: A continuation of SWAK, starting where the episode ended. Tony's recovering, and there's only one person he wants by his side- Gibbs. His boss has always been more of a father to him than Senior, so naturally he needs his 'father' there. Gibbs and Tony, father/son relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**This story continues on from where season 2's 'SWAK' left off. Tony-centric.**

* * *

Gibbs headed straight to his kitchen for a beer as soon as he arrived home that night. It had been a very long day, trying to figure out who had sent them a deadly virus in the mail that ultimately left one of his agents fighting for his life in the hospital. When he had gone to see Tony, Gibbs had not been expecting what he was confronted with. Kate's tears were a shock, but it was heartbreaking to see his normally strong, vivacious, best friend laying in that hospital bed, connected to a heart monitor, and getting oxygen that truly was not helping in the least. His agent couldn't even take a breath without coughing and wheezing. It just wasn't right.

Gibbs had headed back to NCIS to finish up the case, but he couldn't get the image of Tony out if his head. The blue lips, speckled with blood, kept appearing in his mind, worse than what it had actually been. In the end, he had asked McGee to type up his report for him because he needed to get out of there, and left in a rush.

Now that he was at home, however, he was wishing he had stayed at work, where there were people he could talk to, work he could lose himself in. All alone in his house, Gibbs was finding it hard to shake the image of his deathly pale, extremely sick agent. He knew Tony wasn't alone- Kate had chosen to stay with him for the night, Ducky was there if anything was needed, and Tony's doctor had promised to stay with Tony overnight. The nurse that had clearly bonded with his agent hadn't left Tony's side once Gibbs left, but Gibbs felt like he should have stayed too. Back when he had brought Tony onto his team, he had said that he would never let his agent be alone during a crisis, yet he had done the exact opposite when Tony needed him the most.

"Damn it!" Gibbs cursed as he put the unopened bottle of beer back into the fridge. "How the hell did you worm your way in, DiNozzo?"

Gibbs ran up to his room for a quick shower, then headed back out to Tony's apartment to grab what the younger man would need.

* * *

Tony was finally feeling like he could rest. His body ached from all the coughing he had been doing that afternoon, he couldn't breathe very well, even with the oxygen, and he could hear the heart monitor beeping much faster than it should have been. But the medication Brad had given him was starting to kick in, allowing him to relax enough to sleep. The day's events had worn him out more than he would ever admit, and he was glad that Kate had chosen to stay the night. She was already asleep on the bed next to him, so he carefully turned his head to look at her. He knew that she would eventually go back to teasing him if Gibbs was right about him not dying anymore, and he actually welcomed it. It was something for him to look forward to, a hope for him to cling to while he recovered.

"Thank you, Kate," Tony whispered just before he fell asleep.

* * *

Ducky had fallen asleep in the waiting room outside the isolation chamber. He had watched until Tony finally fell asleep, then watched a little while longer to make sure that Tony wasn't about to cough up a lung again. But after that, exhaustion won over, and Ducky had settled into the seat to fall asleep. That had been an hour ago.

Ducky startled awake when he heard someone coughing violently. He was on his feet in seconds, rushing into the isolation chamber just after Emma and Brad. He could see Kate was awake and at Tony's side, holding him up while he continued to cough.

"Tony, you're okay," he heard Brad say, even though nobody truly believed it yet.

"Gibbs..." Tony choked out between coughs.

"It's the middle of the night, Tony," Brad said softly, "Gibbs is sleeping. He'll be here tomorrow." _Even if I have to call him to make sure that he's here_ , Brad thought.

Ducky gently pulled Kate out of the way and hugged her, noticing that she had started to cry again. He didn't blame her for being scared- they all were scared for Tony.

"I'm here now."

Ducky looked up and smiled. "Perfect timing, Jethro," said Ducky as Gibbs came and gave Kate's hand a gentle squeeze.

Gibbs gave a strained smile, then looked back at Tony, who was shivering as he tried to get his breath back. "Tony, I'm here," said Gibbs gently as he carefully stroked Tony's head.

* * *

At first, Tony shied away when Gibbs touched him. Other than the occasional head slap, his boss wasn't a hands on person. And the last person that had touched him like that was his mother, just before she died. However, after a moment, Tony realised that Gibbs wasn't going to hurt him. Nobody had stopped him from touching Tony, so Tony relaxed a little. He looked at Gibbs through half closed, tired eyes and saw his boss was smiling.

"Get some sleep, Tony. I'm not leaving you," Gibbs whispered to his stricken agent.

"Thank... thank you, Gibbs," whispered Tony as his eyes slid shut and he fell into a peaceful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs didn't sleep that night. He hadn't moved from Tony's side since he arrived at Bethesda, and had been there when Tony had woken in a coughing fit twice throughout the night. He had managed to finally get Kate calmed down enough that she slept and was now getting changed to go home, but his attention was still on his agent. Tony was currently sleeping, a relief that everyone shared. He had enough to worry about without being sleep deprived.

"Gibbs?"

Pulled from his thoughts by the weakened voice that whispered his name, Gibbs looked up from the magazine he had been staring at and smiled.

"Hey, Tony. Want some water?" Gibbs grabbed the cup, not waiting for an answer. He had been told already by Brad that Tony needed to keep drinking water if he wanted to ever get better. While the bug that had done all of the damage was dead, the aftermath was even worse.

Tony gratefully accepted his boss' help in sitting up and greedily drank down the water Gibbs had poured for him. His body was dehydrated, and until he started to heal properly, he would stay that way. The IV in his hand helped, but it was still hard.

"Take it easy, Tony," Gibbs gently reminded him. "There's plenty of water here. Just drink it slowly."

Tony shook as he reached for the cup after Gibbs had refilled it. He knew that he was in absolutely no condition to do anything for himself right then.

"Thank... you..."

Gibbs smiled. "Don't thank me. You need to save your energy at the moment." Gibbs laid Tony back onto the bed, making sure the pillows were soft behind his head. "Rest, Tony."

"No more... sleep?"

"If you don't want to sleep, that's fine. I'll turn the TV on for you."

Tony smiled when Gibbs flicked over to a movie channel that was playing The Godfather. He watched the movie for roughly thirty minutes before falling asleep again. Gibbs smiled sadly as he watched Tony snoring softly. He was worried.

* * *

At lunch, Tony woke up to find that he was no longer in the isolation ward. Confused, Tony looked around for Gibbs. He didn't find his boss, but Kate was reading a book in the corner of the room.

"Kate?" Tony called as best as he could.

Kate looked up with a smile. She closed her book, put it on the seat, and headed over.

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked softly as she grabbed the water cup off the bedside table.

"Tired. Are you still okay?" Tony took the water cup and drank it slowly, finishing the cup and asking for more in roughly a minute.

"I'm okay. My cold is disappearing too." Kate handed the second cup of water over, glad that Tony was at least drinking properly. "Do you need anything?" she asked when he handed the cup back.

"Where am I?"

"Brad moved you up to the second floor about an hour ago. He said he'll check on you in a little while, but if you need him, we can call him now."

"I'm alright. Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry."

"Sorry for what? You didn't do anything."

"Got sick... almost made you sick too." Tony yawned.

"Don't worry. Just rest, Tony. I'll be here if you need anything." Kate adjusted Tony's blankets and returned to her seat as soon as Tony had fallen asleep.

* * *

Gibbs entered Tony's room just after dinner to find Kate and Tony watching a program on the TV. It must have been funny, because they were both laughing. Tony sounded like he was having a good time, and the coughing was only minimal, so Gibbs waited until the commercial came on to go over.

"Hey, you two. What's so funny?" he asked.

"Tony forced me into watching something called Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's pretty funny, actually," said Kate as she finally managed to stop giggling.

"You must be feeling better then, Tony?"

"A little. It's nice to have company." Tony turned to Kate. "Do you want to watch the rest?"

"No. I should get going before I start laughing again. Maybe you can get Gibbs to crack a smile though?"

"Watch it, Todd." But Gibbs was smiling as he swapped places with Kate.

* * *

Tony had fallen asleep during a re-run of Magnum PI, so Gibbs had switched off the TV and picked up a magazine. It was the same one he had read earlier that day, but it didn't matter. He just wanted something to focus on while Tony rested.

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked up when he heard his name, but was surprised to find that Tony was still asleep. He didn't seem to be peaceful anymore, either. Gibbs could see his lips moving, heard him mumbling something.

"Gibbs..."

Gibbs watched Tony wake up, but it was quickly clear that he was not okay. He had gone pale, which was frightening, since he had not yet regained his normal skin colour. He seemed to be shaking, and the only warning Gibbs got about him feeling sick was when Tony actually threw up all over himself and the bed. Gibbs was up in a flash, pressing the call button and putting a small tub under Tony's face while he continued to be sick.

"What happened?" asked a nurse as the door swung open.

"He woke up feeling sick, I guess. There was no warning," said Gibbs as he carefully rubbed his agent's back.

The nurse nodded. She left the room, coming back with a second nurse and a syringe. Tony still hadn't stopped vomiting, and, since there was nothing but water in his stomach, it was causing him pain.

"I'm going to give him some medication called Maxolon. It will help to stop the vomiting and the feeling of nausea," said the nurse as she unwrapped the syringe and injected the medication through Tony's IV. She instructed the second nurse to monitor Tony carefully for the next five minutes. "I'll be right back with a clean gown and linen. We'll get Tony cleaned up and resting, then I'll call Doctor Pitt to come and check on him."

"Thank you," said Gibbs as he continued to rub soothing circles into Tony's back. He watched Tony carefully himself, glad when he felt Tony relax and saw him start taking deeper breaths.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs was sure that the deep breaths Tony was taking were hurting him immensely, but Tony didn't complain. Gibbs could tell that his agent was tired, especially since he looked as though he was about to fall asleep. But Tony kept himself awake. He was still shaking, so Gibbs looked over at the nurse that had stayed in the room. She was monitoring Tony's pulse at the moment, something she had been doing since Tony had relaxed when the medication kicked in. Her fingers were gently pressed against Tony's right wrist, her hand hovering above, but never touching, the IV tube or needle.

"Can I get a blanket to wrap around his shoulders for now?" Gibbs asked softly, his hand still against Tony's back in a supportive way.

"Of course. There should be a spare one in the cupboard," said the young nurse.

Gibbs quickly grabbed a blanket and returned to Tony, wrapping it protectively around Tony's shaking shoulders. He was sure that Tony was not actually that cold; the effort of emptying his stomach had merely left him feeling much worse for wear than he had felt that day.

"Alright, let's get a look at your temperature, Tony," the nurse said kindly. She put a thermometer into Tony's ear, being careful not to cause pain or discomfort. She waited for a minute, then removed it and recorded the temperature. "98.2 degrees. That's alright, it's still within the normal range."

The door opened again, and the first nurse came in, carrying sheets and blankets in her arms. She put them on a chair before coming over to the bed.

"Okay, Tony. I'm going to need to get you out of bed for a little bit. I know you're tired and hurting, so I'll be as quick as I can," said said.

Tony looked up and gave the nurse a smile. "Don't... rush, Amber," he said breathlessly.

"Let's get some more oxygen into you as well." Amber turned a dial, then recorded the oxygen level on Tony's chart. "Sarah, help me get him into the chair.

Gibbs picked up the magazine he had dropped into the soft chair that was next to the bed and moved out of the way so that Tony could use it. He watched as the two nurses worked together to get Tony out of the bed. He was evidently still quite weak, because his legs wobbled the moment he was standing. Even with the help from the nurses, he couldn't manage to take a step without his knees buckling. Gibbs moved to his side and took over for the younger nurse, wrapping one arm around Tony's waist, and holding his friend upright with the other arm. It took them a few minutes, but they finally got Tony into the chair.

"Alright, let's get cleaned up so you can get some rest, Tony," said Amber. She gave Tony a sweet smile, and Gibbs was able to tell that she had taken a liking to Tony, just like every other nurse and doctor that met him. Then she turned to help the younger nurse change the bed linen and clean the area.

After almost ten minutes, the two nurses were done. Amber sent the younger woman out to call Brad, then picked up the new gown she had also brought in.

"Tony, let's get you changed, okay?" she said as she came over.

Tony just nodded this time. He didn't even complain when Amber undid the gown. He let her slide the right sleeve down his arm, carefully maneuvering it around the blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter, and IV as she took it off. He allowed Amber to help him stand up to take the gown off completely and put the new one on too.

"Okay. Agent Gibbs, would you be able to help Tony back into the bed, please?" Amber asked as she collected all of the dirty laundry and put it into a bag.

"Of course." Gibbs helped Tony up and carefully guided him back to the bed. He could see the relief on Tony's face when he adjusted the clean blankets and covered Tony with them. "Is he okay?"

"I think he'll be alright. But we will need to probably monitor him closely over the next few hours. Maxalon can cause issues if we aren't careful. I'll get his doctor to do a thorough check up just to be sure."

"Thank you." Gibbs returned to his seat, making sure he was close by, and watched as the nurse helped Tony drink some water before she left.

* * *

Brad was getting ready to do his last round of the day when his pager beeped. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it.

 _You are needed in Agent DiNozzo's room urgently, Nurse Swinn!_

Brad was now worried. He dropped the files he was carrying on a desk in the nurses' station. Then he ran. He was up on the eighth floor of the hospital, so he hurried to catch the elevator that was just closing. He didn't want to have to wait for another one. He didn't know what was wrong, but he knew that a nurse would not have said it was urgent if it wasn't.

"Doctor Pitt, is something wrong?"

Brad turned in surprise, having not noticed Emma was next to him. She was looking at him with concern.

"Emma, are you going somewhere important?"

"I'm up in the ICU tonight. Why?"

"Tony... Something must have happened. They paged me."

"Go and check in. Let me know if you need me. I'm sure that I'll be able to get away if you need me."

Brad nodded. "Right. Sorry, I just don't... I don't know. Tony's wormed his way into my heart somehow."

"Mine too." Emma grinned. "He'll be alright." The elevator opened. "Let me know how things go."

Brad nodded. He watched the doors close and willed the elevator to go faster.


	4. Chapter 4

Brad was relieved to finally reach Tony's room. He went in after taking a quick minute to calm down.

"Tony? What's going on?" Brad asked.

Amber had returned to the room a moment ago. She was fixing Tony's blankets after having checked his breathing.

Tony looked up at Brad sleepily. The medication he had been given was working well. "Feel yuck..." he mumbled.

Brad smiled. "Can I check you out?"

Tony nodded. "Sleep?"

"After I check how you are."

Brad grabbed his stethoscope and carefully placed it on Tony's chest. He listened for a few minutes, hearing Tony's rasping breaths. It saddened him to think that Tony had beaten such a disasterous problem, only to be taken down by the aftermath of it. Then he gently rested two fingers on Tony's left wrist, glad to find a strong pulse. He was reassured by the strong heartbeat shown on the heart monitor as well the stable blood pressure also shown there.

"Alright, Tony. I'm going to speak to Amber, then I'll be back to finish checking you. Try and stay awake for me, okay?"

Tony yawned, but nodded. He looked at Gibbs. "Can watch..." Tony coughed, and Gibbs handed him some water. "Thanks. We watch TV?"

"Sure, Tony," said Gibbs. "Let's see what's on."

Brad smiled as Tony settled back against his pillows. His left hand rested on the bed, close to Gibbs' arm. It was a sweet scene that made him relax slightly as he stepped out of the room, knowing that Gibbs would watch over the young agent.

"So what happened? Nurse Swinn said I should get down here urgently."

"We got an alert when Agent Gibbs pressed the call button. I came in to find Tony throwing up all over himself and the bed. Poor guy couldn't stop, so I ended up giving him a dose of Maxalon."

"It worked?"

"Yeah. It took about two minutes to work. Unfortunately, by the time he finished, he was in so much pain. He only had water in his stomach. He's still in pain, but we didn't know if we should give him anything."

"I'll check him out and see. But get a dose of his sleeping medication ready. It will provide pain relief and help him sleep soundly, I hope."

"He's been alright most of the afternoon. He and Agent Todd were watching some kind of comedy program around six-thirty. They were laughing about it."

"Sounds like he had a good time." Brad smiled. "I'm glad he did."

Amber walked away to get the medication ready as Brad returned to Tony's side.

"Hey, Tony, can we have a chat?" Brad asked, noticing that Tony and Gibbs were watching something on the TV.

"Yes." Tony looked at his doctor, and Brad saw that the guy was almost asleep.

Brad put his stethoscope back onto Tony's chest, but he found that there was no change in Tony's breathing. It was still raspy. "I need you to sit up for me, Tony. Just for a minute, okay?"

Tony nodded. He took Gibbs' hand as the older man helped him sit up.

Brad quickly checked Tony's lungs, then helped Gibbs lay him down again. "Thank you, Tony."

"Can I sleep now?" Tony asked.

"Not yet. Are you feeling sick right now?"

Tony shook his head. "Amber gave me something that helped."

"So I heard. Are you in any pain?"

"My whole body is sore."

"Okay. I'm going to let you have the sleeping medication we gave you last night, but only half the dose, okay? I don't want anything to react with the medication you were already given."

Tony nodded. He looked like he was ready to sleep without the medication's help.

The door opened, and Amber came in with Tony's medication. She handed it to Brad. "It's the full dosage in there," she told him before she gave Tony a smile and left again.

"Alright." Brad put the syringe into Tony's IV and gave him half of the liquid inside. Tony was immediately asleep, softly snoring as his body completely relaxed

"Is he alright?" Gibbs asked.

"He'll be okay. He probably just needed a way to get the medication out of his system since he hasn't eaten anything for a while. I'm not worried, but I will keep a closer watch on him tonight. Tomorrow, I want to try and get him to eat something, even if it's small, and maybe try to get him out of bed for a while."

"He can't stand up on his own. Even with the nurses holding him, he was wobbling."

"Likely because his body is still healing. We can get him a wheelchair and take him outside for a little while. I don't want him to stay cooped up in here every day, it isn't good for him." Brad sighed. "It's going to take a while for him to get completely better. I'd say he'll be in the hospital for at least another few days. And the longer it takes for Tony to eat properly, the longer it will take for him to get better."

Gibbs nodded. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"At the moment, just being there for him, giving him support, is what I hope you will give. There's not much anyone can do at the moment. We've started him on some medication that will hopefully help his immune system get stronger again, and it's now just a waiting game."

"Okay." It was Gibbs' turn to sigh. "Thank you."

Brad smiled. He said he would get the nurses to check on Tony in a couple of hours, then left, letting Gibbs watch over Tony again.


	5. Chapter 5

Thursday morning was rainy and dull when Tony woke up. It was quiet, the only sound coming from the steadily beeping heart monitor Tony was still connected to. He felt a lot better that morning, especially since his breathing was easier. His chest wasn't sore like it had been since getting infected two days prior. Tony slowly raised himself up on his elbows and looked around to see if anyone was there. He was alone, so he carefully laid back down, closed his eyes, and tried to go back to sleep. It didn't work, because as soon as the door to his room opened, Tony was awake again. He looked over to see Emma coming into the room. She clearly hadn't noticed that he was awake yet, so smiled and called out to her.

"Nurse Emma. How nice to see you," he said, glad when he didn't cough.

"Tony, you're up early. It's only seven am," said Emma as she came over to him.

"I tried to go back to sleep, but I usually get up at this time. Can I have some water please?"

Emma grabbed Tony's cup and handed it over to him, raising the back of the bed a little as she did so. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Alright. I feel really tired still, but I don't feel like I need to be sick or anything. And my chest doesn't feel like it's burning either."

"You haven't coughed yet. Do you feel like you need to?"

"No." Tony smiled. "Does that mean that I can get out of bed for a bit?"

Emma took her stethoscope out and placed it on Tony's chest, listening to his breathing. "Brad wants to get you up for a little while today. He may not get you out of the room, I think he just wants to see how you're doing and whether you have your strength back yet." She gently pushed Tony forward a little bit, keeping a hand on his chest just in case, and pressed the stethoscope lightly to Tony's back to listen to his lungs. "I heard that yesterday, you were pretty wobbly on your feet."

"I felt really sick yesterday. I couldn't even warn Gibbs before I threw up."

Emma smiled again as she took her stethoscope out of her ears and put it back around her neck. "I heard about that too. But that is normal, especially after everything you've been through."

Tony nodded. He rested himself against the pillows again, watching Emma as she made notes in his medical chart. "Emma?"

"Yes Tony?"

"Would it be okay if I...?"

"If you what? Are you feeling alright?" She hadn't gotten around to checking his temperature yet, and thought that maybe he was feeling a little unwell.

"I'm okay. I was wondering, would it be alright if I eat something today?"

Emma had to smile. Tony seemed almost worried to ask the question. "Are you hungry right now? I can get you some breakfast if you want."

"A little bit," admitted Tony, though it was an understatement. His stomach had been growling for a few hours now.

"I'll get you some toast. You shouldn't have a problem keeping that down. Do you want jam or just butter on it?"

"Just butter, please."

Emma nodded. "Let me go and get your breakfast sorted, then I'll come back and finish checking you."

"Thank you." Tony sighed in relief. He had been worried that the doctor didn't want Tony to eat yet.

After a few minutes, Emma returned. "Breakfast will be here in just a few minutes. While we wait, I'd like to finish checking you, okay?"

"Sure." Tony relaxed as Emma rested her fingers on his right wrist, being careful not to put pressure on top of the IV. It was covered by a bandage, just to be sure, but Tony could still feel it, and the slightest pressure caused his hand to hurt.

"Doesn't my pulse come up on the monitor?"

"It does, but sometimes machines aren't accurate. We always double check."

"Okay."

Emma felt Tony's pulse for a few more seconds, then wrote on the chart again. "Doing good so far. Let's check your temperature." She put a thermometer into his ear, waited a minute, then took it out. "97 degrees. Perfect."

The door opened, and Sarah, the young nurse from the night before, came in. She gave Tony a smile once she had put his breakfast on the table, then left again.

"That smells nice," said Tony.

Emma rolled the table over. "You can start eating, but take it slowly. There's no need to rush. If you want more, just let us know. And if you can't eat all of it, then don't. You don't need to make yourself sick."

Tony nodded eagerly. He picked up the first piece of toast, savouring the taste as he chewed and swallowed.

"You must be pretty hungry. Can I borrow your right hand while you eat?"

Tony nodded again. He shifted in the bed so he was able to eat properly, then handed Emma his right hand. He could feel her taking off the bandage, but he trusted her enough that she didn't need to see what she was doing. He continued to eat the toast, being careful to eat slowly, until he couldn't fit anymore food into him.

"You finished, Tony?" Emma asked when she noticed him push the table away. She was just finishing off cleaning around the IV needle.

"Yes." Tony drank some water, then looked at Emma curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning around the needle to make sure that anything that may have been building up around it won't cause any problems. It's something we do daily when a patient is using an IV."

"Nobody did it yesterday."

"It was done, but you were fast asleep. You didn't even realise what was happening around you."

"Oh," said Tony sheepishly. "Right."

Emma laughed. She finished wrapping the bandage back around Tony's hand, and said, "You don't need to feel bad, Tony. Rest is good for you, especially right now." She gave him a bright smile. "I'll come and check on you in a little while. You know how to get our attention if you need anything before then."

"Bye, Nurse Emma."

"Bye, Tony. Make sure you get some more rest."

Tony turned on the TV as the door closed behind Emma, glad to find it was still on the channel he had watched the night before. An episode of Just Shoot Me! was on, part of a marathon that finished at nine am.


	6. Chapter 6

Brad said hello to the nurses as he stepped behind the desk and grabbed Tony's file. He quickly checked to see that Emma was the nurse that day for Tony, something he was glad about, since Tony and Emma seemed to have built a good relationship. He noted that she hadn't given Tony any medication other than immune system booster an hour earlier. That had been at eight-thirty am, right on time for the schedule that Brad had written up. He was pleased to see Emma's notes from seven am, when she had checked on Tony. He was doing well that morning. Brad was even more pleased to see Emma's note that Tony had eaten two slices of toast for breakfast and kept it down.

"Hi Brad," said Emma as she came in, looking for something. She searched the files on the desk, frowning when she couldn't find the one she wanted.

"Hey Emma. Everything okay?"

"I'm looking for Tony's file. I know I left it here."

"I have it. I was just about to go and see him. Is there a problem?"

Emma shook her head. "I just wanted to check something. Did I write down what Tony ate this morning?"

"Two slices of toast with butter."

Emma nodded. "Okay, I just wanted to check."

"That's fine. Want to come in with me?"

"Sure." Emma smiled as she followed Brad to Tony's room.

* * *

Tony was watching the last episode of Just Shoot Me! when his door opened again, Emma and Brad walking in while they chatted. Tony switched off the TV, waiting patiently as his doctor came over to the bed.

"Hi Tony," said Brad. "How are you doing this morning?"

"Good." Tony coughed, but it was only a little cough. It didn't worry anyone. "Actually, would you be able to pass me the water cup?"

Brad handed the cup to Tony, noting how Tony's hand shook slightly. It wasn't a surprise, Tony still had a long recovery ahead, but he wanted to know how his patient was exactly before he attempted to get him out of bed. So far, Tony had only gotten up to use the bathroom, and that was with help from nurses.

"Thank you," said Tony. He put the cup on the bedside table.

"Of course." Brad took a seat on the bed. "Tony, I want to discuss something with you. Are you feeling well enough to talk a little while?"

"Sure. I was just watching some comedy program. It wasn't that great."

"I saw that you had some breakfast this morning. And that you managed to keep it down. I'm happy about that."

Tony smiled. "It was only two slices of toast."

"That's more than you've had in the last two days."

"Do you think that means I'm getting better?"

"I do. And, because you are doing quite well at the moment, I'd like to try and get you out of bed today. I understand that you may not have very much strength and energy, but this is just a trial. I want to see how you're getting along. Is that alright?"

"Okay." Tony looked at the machines he was attached to. "There's just one problem."

"The monitors?"

"Yeah."

"Well, first, I just want to get you on your feet. If you can stay upright, and you feel well enough to do so, we can get you out of this room and into some fresh air. We can unhook the monitors for now, then reattach them later on."

"I know I said I was feeling alright, but I don't feel well enough to stop the oxygen."

"We can move the oxygen tank to a wheelchair, and we can put the IV onto the chair's pole."

"And go outside?" Tony sounded hopeful.

"That's the plan."

Tony grinned. His eyes had lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. Brad smiled as he stood up.

"Let's get you checked out, then we can work on getting you out of the bed. Is anyone coming to visit today?"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Emma opened it and let the person in with a smile.

"Hey, Tony," said Abby happily. "Gibbs said to tell you that he'll come out after work tonight and visit you."

"Thanks Abbs." Tony loved his bubbly best friend.

"So, is Tony okay?" Abby asked.

"So far, so good. I'm going to do a checkup, then we are going to get Tony out of bed for a little while," said Brad as he noted down Tony's vital signs.

"Can I help with anything?"

Brad smiled. Clearly, Tony had some very supportive friends. "When we get Tony up, you can help me out."

"Thanks." Abby dropped her bag on the chair and sat on the bed, watching Brad as he checked Tony's IV bag.

"When can you take out this IV?" asked Tony as Brad began checking Tony's heartbeat with his stethoscope.

"Not until you eat a full day's worth of meals and keep them all down."

"Alright." Tony knew there was no point in arguing. Brad was the doctor, and he knew what was best right then.

Brad smiled again. "No arguments?"

"No. I know that you're just looking out for me. Besides, if I argue, then it'll take me longer to get out of here. And I want to go play football so I can win this time."

Brad actually laughed at that. "I think that might be fun," he said. He took his stethoscope off Tony's chest and helped his old friend lean forward so he could listen to Tony's lungs. "Take a deep breath for me."

Tony sucked in air, then let it out again. He repeated the task, glad to find it didn't hurt his chest anymore.

"Feeling alright still?" Brad asked once Tony was comfortable again.

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt to breathe anymore."

"That's good. Your lungs are sounding much clearer than they did yesterday. And there's no rasp or wheeze to it either."

"What does that mean?"

"That means that you probably won't need oxygen too much longer. Maybe, when you come back in later, we can take you off the oxygen and see how you go. If you still need it, we can just put you back onto it again. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good," said Tony, smiling. "Now, can I get up?"


	7. Chapter 7

Brad couldn't help the smirk on his face. Tony always made him laugh somehow, and it was clear that this was normal. Abby was snickering in the corner of the room, trying to hide it and failing miserably.

"Yes, Tony. Let's get you out of bed," said Emma, the only one that had gotten her laughter under control.

Brad finally managed to focus again. He watched as Tony threw the blankets off himself and swing his feet over the side of the bed. He could see that Tony was hesitating at that point, and rather than make Tony more uncomfortable, Brad took hold of his arm and carefully lifted Tony to his feet. He held onto Tony as the agent swayed for a few seconds.

"Do you want to lay down again?" Brad asked, not concerned so much as just being cautious.

"No," said Tony after a moment. "I think I'm ready to go."

Brad nodded. He put his arm around Tony's waist for support. "Try and take a few steps. Don't worry if you can't, we can try again later."

"I want to go outside though." Tony took a step, wobbling slightly.

"We are still going outside, whether you are able to do this or not. I want you to just focus on walking first."

Tony nodded. He was staring at his feet, determination radiating off of him in waves as he slowly put another foot in front of him.

"Great. Keep going," Brad encouraged as Tony managed a third step.

"I think I need to sit down," Tony said a moment later. He had taken two more steps, and was now standing next to the soft patient chair.

"Alright. Have a seat, and I'll get you some water." Brad carefully helped him sit in the chair, then grabbed the cup of water that Emma was holding for him. "Here you go. Drink the water."

Tony drank the water and handed the cup back. He looked like he was exhausted. Brad could see that the few steps he had managed had worn him out. Again, it wasn't a surprise. Brad was quite happy with Tony's progress.

"Do you want to have another try?" Brad asked. He had taken a seat on Tony's bed, watching his patient as he tried to figure out what to do next.

Tony shook his head. "Maybe later?"

"Of course. We can definitely try again later."

"Can we go outside now?" Tony asked hopefully.

Brad smiled. He had known that was Tony's next question. He turned to Emma. "Can you please bring in a wheelchair, Emma?"

"Of course. I'll be right back." Emma smiled at Tony as she walked past.

"Thank you, Emma," said Tony, sounding almost shy.

Brad stood up and walked over to Tony again. He put the stethoscope against Tony's back and listened for a moment, satisfied when he heard nothing worrisome. "Are you in any pain?" he asked.

"No. I'm a little tired."

"That's expected. You can rest now, I'll push the wheelchair to take you outside."

"Thanks." Tony smiled. Then he realised what Brad was doing. "Can we leave these machines off when we come back up?"

"Not all of them. We can probably keep the pulse and blood pressure monitors off."

Tony smiled happily. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. Now, it's going to rain most of today, so you need to keep warm. The last thing you need right now is to be catching a cold or the flu or pneumonia." Brad handed Tony a dressing gown.

"That's a good point." Tony put the gown over his body, loving the warmth it provided.

"Abby," said Brad once he was done removing the monitors.

"Yes?" Abby came over, smiling and ready to help.

"When we get outside, I'm going to get you to stay with Tony. Is that alright?"

"Of course. Tony's my best friend. I want to help."

"Thank you. We'll only stay out there for a half hour, at the most, but I think Tony's needing company that isn't a nurse or doctor."

Abby nodded. She hugged Tony carefully, making sure she didn't squash him.

* * *

Five minutes later, Brad had Tony outside. The air was refreshing for Tony, but it was also cold. He could feel the air hitting his already cold body, and he was beginning to shiver. He quickly decided that being outdoors was not something he was ready for.

"Brad?" Tony asked quietly. He felt bad for making the doctor bring him outside for no reason.

"Yes, Tony?" Brad came over and took a seat across from him, concern clouding his face. "Is something wrong?"

Tony nodded. "I think I want to go inside. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable. Are you alright?"

"It's really cold out here."

Brad nodded. He stood up, called to Emma and Abby, who were chatting nearby, and then unlocked the brakes on the wheelchair.

"We're heading inside. It looks like it might rain any moment," said Brad, though he knew both women didn't believe his reason for a second.

Tony was relieved when Brad pushed him into the hospital again. Warmth washed over his body and he immediately felt much better. He felt himself relax in the chair as Brad pushed it up to the elevator, and his eyes started to close.

"Tony," said Brad gently, "stay awake."

Tony opened his eyes. They were back in his room.

"Did I fall asleep?" Tony asked with a yawn.

"Just for a moment. Let's get you back into bed and checked out, alright? Then you can sleep. Are you hungry?"

Tony shook his head. "Just tired."

"Do you want to rest for a while, or try breathing without the oxygen?"

"Uh... I want to sleep."

"Okay. Let's get you up." Tony leaned on Brad as the doctor helped him stand up. He was more exhausted than he thought, and the moment he was laying in bed again, he fell asleep, still in the dressing gown.

"Is he alright?" asked Abby as she looked worriedly at Tony.

"Yes. It's been a long morning for him, that's all. He'll sleep for a couple of hours, then wake up and be fine. You can stay with him if you want to," answered Brad as he quickly connected up the heart monitor again. "I'll come back in an hour to see how he is."

Abby nodded. She covered Tony with his blankets, then sat in the chair next to his bed. It was obvious that she was worried about Tony.


	8. Chapter 8

Gibbs got out of work early that day. He headed straight for Bethesda, not stopping once. When he got there, Gibbs went straight up to the second floor, looking for Brad. Abby had told him about Tony's morning, and Gibbs wanted to know how Tony was really doing, from a medical standpoint. He was well aware that Abby tended to exaggerate when she was worried about someone, and he wanted to know how much she had exaggerated this time.

"Hi Gibbs," said Brad with a bright smile as he caught up to the agent.

"Oh, hi. You're just the man I was looking for."

"Really?" Brad frowned. "Is there a problem with Tony?"

"I just got here. I wanted to discuss Tony's morning. Abby told me some things, but when she's worried, she exaggerates."

"Okay." Brad relaxed. "I was just about to check on him, but we can talk first. What's bothering you?"

Gibbs and Brad sat down in the waiting room, and Gibbs spoke. "I heard he ate breakfast this morning."

"He did. Two slices of buttered toast. It wasn't a lot, but it's a hell of a lot better than I was expecting."

"Good. Did you get him out of the bed?"

"Yes. He took five steps, with my support, before he wanted to sit and rest."

"Is that bad?"

"No. Honestly, I wasn't expecting him to take any steps today. His body is still recovering, and it's going to be a long recovery. I wasn't worried in the least. And I'm pleased that he is asking for help, rather than ignoring his limitations."

"Alright, that's a good thing."

"We took him outside as well. We spent roughly five minutes outside, but it was too cold for him, so we came back in. It's no big deal. The weather is crappy at the moment, and he's not well yet. I was surprised he lasted as long as he did outside, actually."

"He hasn't gotten sick, has he?"

"No. He's doing quite well. We took some blood this afternoon to do another blood test, and the results came back negative for anything that shouldn't be there. He's doing far better than I was expecting only two days after being infected. It's a good start to his recovery. Tomorrow, we'll get him out of bed again. I don't think we'll go outside, but I want to try and get him to walk without support. The quicker he does that, the better it will be for him."

"There's nothing to be worried about?"

"No." Brad stood up. "Let's go see Tony."

* * *

Tony was eating his dinner when the door opened and Brad walked in with Gibbs. He gave them a smile, but continued to eat the supposed mash potatoes he had been given.

"Hey, Tony, how are you feeling now?" Brad asked as he noted down Tony's heart rate.

"Good. I'm really enjoying not being on the oxygen too. Thank you for that." Tony grinned. "What I don't enjoy is this food. It's disgusting."

Brad laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to say that. Do you want some sandwiches instead?"

"Yes. Anything other than this stuff would be amazing."

Brad chuckled. "Alright. Let me get your checkup out of the way, then I'll grab the sandwiches for you."

Tony nodded. He stopped eating and put the spoon on the tray in front of him. Then he pushed the table out of the way so that Brad didn't have to squash in to work.

"Lean forward for me," said Brad. He put the stethoscope on Tony's back and listened. It seemed like Tony's lungs had finally begun to heal- his breathing was getting better and better every time he checked. After a moment longer, he helped Tony lay back again. He placed the stethoscope on Tony's chest and listened again. His heartbeat was strong, making Brad feel even happier.

"Doing good at the moment. Let's check your blood pressure now." Brad grabbed a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around Tony's arm. He was glad to see that Tony's blood pressure was normal. "Good. Pulse next."

Tony placed his right hand in Brad's outstretched one. He let it rest there while Brad placed his fingers on Tony's wrist. The gentle touch lasted only a few seconds, then he had his hand resting on the bed again.

"Alright. You're doing really well tonight, Tony. I'm happy with your progress so far. I'll have the nurses keep an eye on you overnight, and tomorrow we might take you off the heart monitor. How does that sound?"

"That's sounds great. When can I go home?" Tony asked.

With a laugh, Brad said, "we'll see how you are over the next few days, then decide. For now, let's get some sandwiches for you. If you can keep that down tonight, and keep breakfast and lunch down tomorrow, we might look into taking out the IV."

Tony's eyes lit up and he said to Brad, "I can do that. I haven't had a problem today."

"I know, and I'm glad, because you really can't afford to keep throwing up whatever's in your stomach. But we still want to make sure that you're getting better at the same time." Brad smiled. "I'll be right back with the food."

* * *

Tony was enjoying the movie that was on TV that night. Gibbs was watching with him, and it really felt like he was back at home, with his dad, before anything bad had started. He wouldn't admit it, but he was glad that Gibbs kept coming each day, glad for the company and the strength that the older man gave out.

"Hey, boss?"

"Yeah, Tony?" Gibbs was watching the movie, enjoying it more than Tony was.

"Thank you for being here with me. It really means a lot."

Gibbs smiled as he looked at Tony. "You aren't just my agent, Tony. I don't know how or when it happened, but you wormed your way into my heart, and now you are very easily my favourite agent. If you say that to anyone, though, I'll slap you silly. Understand?"

Tony nodded. "I understand. Thanks."

Both men were silent after that, and it wasn't long before Gibbs was turning off the TV and adjusting Tony's bed so that Tony could sleep comfortably.


	9. Chapter 9

Tony slept most of Friday morning. He had been woken up a few times during the night by nurses for checkups, and he hadn't been able to get much sleep. He had woken to eat breakfast, which had been toast again, then went back to sleep. He was awake now, eating a BLT that he had gotten as his lunch. It was nice, and he was half way through it when Brad came into the room.

"You must be enjoying that," said Brad cheerfully.

"It actually tastes pretty good. Do you want to try some?" Tony asked.

"No. I'm going to have lunch in a few minutes. I just wanted to see how you're feeling now."

"I'm okay. I don't enjoy the checkups in the middle of the night though."

"I figured you wouldn't. But that won't happen again. I just needed to make sure everything was okay."

"I know." Tony finished the last bite of his sandwich. "When do you want to do my x-rays?"

"This afternoon. I want to get you up and out of bed again when I get back from lunch. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes. I feel good today. I don't feel sick or dizzy. And I'd like to get up."

"You don't have to wait for me. If you want to get out of bed, just get up. The heart monitor cords are long enough to allow you to move around."

"Can we take the monitor off yet?"

"After we get your x-rays done. That way, you can be free of cords while walking around. I was thinking of taking out that IV as well after we do the x-rays, as long as your lunch stays inside your stomach."

"Cool." Tony grinned. "I can't wait."

Brad laughed. "It's good to see you in high spirits. If you stay happy, you'll get better quicker, and the quicker you heal, the quicker we can get out on a basketball court."

"You actually want to play?"

"Of course I do. Not yet, not until you are one hundred percent healthy, but yes."

"I'm holding you to that, Brad."

"Holding him to what?" Gibbs asked as he came in.

"Playing a game of basketball with me when I'm better."

"Sounds like something to look forward to."

Brad nodded. "It is. I'm going to leave you with Gibbs while I have lunch, Tony, but then I'll be back to get you walking. Emma will come by in a little while to take you for your x-rays."

* * *

An hour and a half later, Tony's x-rays had been completed and he was relaxing in bed, watching a movie with Gibbs. It was quiet, the only noise coming from the TV, until the door opened and Brad walked in, holding Tony's x-rays.

"Good afternoon. I heard you had some fun with Emma today," said Brad with a grin.

"Yes. Nurse Emma and I shared a few jokes. Of course, that was when we weren't laughing at each other," said Tony. He sat himself up properly to look at the x-rays Brad had put up on a light box.

"She tells me that you were a good patient for her."

"Well, of course I am. For Nurse Emma anyway," Tony grinned cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you like Emma more than you like me."

"Not true. I like you both the same, just in a different way."

"Sure. Anyway, let's change the topic. You're x-rays are looking good. Your lungs are doing much better, though there is some scarring."

"Is scarring bad?" Gibbs asked when he saw Tony's smile fade.

"Not necessarily. Considering the condition Tony was in when this started, the scarring is minimal. I would recommend yearly checkups, just to make sure that it doesn't get worse or cause problems, but it's not a worry. The scarring won't do much, and you won't need to change your lifestyle."

"Are you sure?" asked Tony.

"Very sure. You don't need to worry unless I tell you to, okay?"

"Okay." Tony visibly relaxed once he knew that Brad was being honest.

"Earlier, when I checked your breathing, I was pleased to find that your lungs sounded clear. Judging by these x-rays, I was right."

"That sounds good."

"It is very good. For someone that was deathly ill just three days ago, you're doing extremely well." Brad took down the x-rays and slipped them into Tony's file. "But enough about that. Let's get you out of that bed."

Tony nodded. He pushed away the blankets and swung his legs over the side of the bed, ready to get up.

"Hold on a minute, Tony. Weren't you the one asking to be taken off the heart monitor this morning?"

"You said maybe."

"I did. But now that I've looked at your x-rays, I've decided that I'm going to take you off the monitor and the IV."

Tony's face split into a big smile. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Of course not." Brad pressed a button on the heart monitor and the screen turned off. Then he undid Tony's gown so he could take the electrodes off Tony's stomach and chest. After a minute, he was done and the gown was done up again. "Let's get that needle out of your hand. Put your hand in mine for a moment, and try to keep it relaxed."

Tony did as he was told, watching as Brad undid the bandage and carefully slid the needle out. He relaxed the muscles in his hand as a band-aid was put on, then took his hand back, amazed at how he hadn't felt any pain from the needle.

"Alright. Let's get you up. Do you think you can do that on your own today?"

"I want to try," said Tony. He put his feet on the ground and lifted himself into a standing position. He could feel himself swaying slightly, but he quickly righted himself and took a step.

"Good job, Tony. You're doing much better than you did yesterday." Brad was walking alongside Tony, his hand out in case help was required.

"I feel better than yesterday. Stronger," said Tony as he concentrated on walking to the patient chair.

"I can see that." Brad watched as Tony reached the chair and stopped. "Try walking to the window behind Gibbs." It would require Tony to turn around and take several more steps.

Tony turned and walked to the window. He was smiling happily by the time he reached it.

"Great. How are you feeling?" Brad asked as he joined Tony.

"Good. I'm not tired, if that's what you mean."

"What about your breathing? Are you comfortable with breathing?"

"Yes. I'm not even out of breath."

"Good. That's what I want to hear. Now, I was thinking of sending you home on Monday. Would you like that?"

"Of course I would."

"It depends on your health though. I won't be here this weekend, so I will be relying on the nurses' notes to determine if you're ready to go home."

"Okay."

"If you need me over the weekend, let the nurses know and they'll call me. I think you'll be fine. You're getting stronger each day, but if you need me, don't hesitate to tell someone."

"Thank you, Brad." Tony smiled. "I was thinking, do I have to go back to the bed now?"

"No. Do you want to sit outside the bed?"

"Yes. That patient chair is quite comfortable."

"Alright. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back to check on you before I leave tonight." Brad smiled and left, looking back before closing the door behind him to find Tony in the patient chair, talking to Gibbs.


	10. Chapter 10

Monday morning finally arrived. Tony was pissed, having been kept on bed rest all weekend long for no reason. Emma hadn't even been there to help, so he had been stuck on his own. He couldn't wait to see Brad and tell him what had happened over the weekend.

"Good morning, Tony," said Brad cheerfully when he entered the room ten minutes later.

"Hi," Tony huffed angrily. He refused to look at Brad.

"Tony? What's going on?"

"I want to go home. Now."

"Alright. I was planning on sending you home. Dr Mallard is on the way in to pick you up as we speak. What's got you so upset?"

Tony shook his head, trying to keep his tears at bay.

Brad sat on the bed. "What happened? Talk to me."

"I hate them."

"Hate who?"

Tony finally looked at the doctor. "The nurses. I have been stuck in this bed all weekend. My body hurts because they wouldn't let me get up for anything other than the bathroom."

"Why?"

"I don't know. There was no reason for it."

"Okay. I'll deal with them. How about we get you checked out and sign the discharge forms so we can send you home?"

"Promise? You aren't just saying that?"

"I mean it. I've seen the check-up results from the last two days. Everything is looking good. However, I won't be sending you home alone. Dr Mallard is going to stay with you this morning, and a nurse will be there this afternoon. You'll like her, she's a lovely lady. She'll be with you each day this week, and Gibbs has agreed to stay with you overnight each night this week. It's just a precaution, but you aren't well yet, and I'd rather you not end up back in the hospital."

"Okay." Tony was willing to accept any conditions given if it meant he could go home.

"And you will need to come in on Monday for a check-up. I've made the appointment already. It's for ten-thirty in the morning. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

"Great. Let's get you out of here then." Brad left the room for a moment and came back with papers. "Sign these while I get your check-up done."

Tony quickly signed the papers Brad handed him, then sat back, allowing the doctor to examine him.

* * *

An hour later, Tony was opening his apartment door. Ducky was behind him, carrying a bag containing Tony's antibiotics and pain killers.

"It's much cleaner in here than what I left it like," said Tony a moment later.

"Caitlyn came in yesterday to restock your fridge for you. She cleaned up before leaving so that you wouldn't have to exert yourself," said Ducky as he placed the pharmacy bag on the kitchen bench. "Go and relax on the couch, Anthony."

"Already ahead of you," called Tony from where he had made himself comfortable in front of his TV. "Do you want to watch a movie with me?"

"Sure." Ducky came and sat next to Tony, noticing that Tony was already watching some movie.

"It's the Wizard of Oz. Don't tell anyone I like this movie."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want them knowing. Especially Kate." Tony had gone red.

"Relax, Anthony. Your secret is safe with me." Ducky patted his arm reassuringly. "I promise."

* * *

Lunch time arrived too quickly. Tony had been enjoying Ducky's company, and now he was leaving. He had promised to come by after work and check in with Tony, but it still made Tony sad that his friend was leaving. His nurse was nice, like Brad had said, but they didn't know each other and Tony wasn't sure if he wanted to be friends with her yet.

"Agent DiNozzo?"

"You can call me Tony, Sasha. I prefer that," said Tony with a smile.

"Okay. Tony, did you have lunch?"

"Yes. The guy that was just here, he's our medical examiner at work, and kind of like a team doctor. Trust me, when he's here, I'll definitely be eating and doing the right thing."

"Good. Now, Dr Pitt gave me some instructions, but they're pretty flexible. I'd like to discuss them with you and get your opinion on them."

"Really?" Maybe he could be friends with this woman. She was nice.

"Yes. I'd like for you to be comfortable with me here."

Tony smiled. "Thank you."

Sasha pulled a piece of paper out of her bag and came over to Tony, sitting on the couch with him. "These are the instructions I was given. Have a read of them."

Tony took the paper and looked at it, seeing that Brad had written a number of things down:

 _1\. Tony must eat every meal- I'll let you be the judge on how much he should eat_

 _2\. Tony needs to keep his fluids up- I don't want him to end up back in hospital because he isn't taking care of himself_

 _3\. You must check Tony at least twice a day- preferably in the morning when you arrive and the evening before you leave_

 _4\. Keep an eye on Tony's breathing- this is non-negotiable, and probably the most important instruction on this paper_

 _5\. Tony must go outside at least once a day- you can judge the timing_

 _6\. Starting Wednesday, I want Tony to go for at least one walk a day- no less than ten minutes_

 _7\. Make sure Tony takes his medication in accordance with the instructions on the bottle. DO NOT LET HIM MISS ANY DOSES. The painkillers are there if he needs them._

Tony handed the paper back.

"What do you think?" asked Sasha.

"I don't have a problem with any of it. I do have some questions, though."

"Ask away."

"Well, as for going outside, I was hoping to be able to do that more than once a day. Nobody would let me go outside this weekend that just passed, and I was bored. I hate being stuck inside."

"We can go out as much as you want. You let me know when you're ready to go out there."

Tony smiled. "Thank you, Sasha. My next question is, do we have to wait until Wednesday to go walking?"

"No. It is the recommendation, but if you feel well enough to get up and walk before then, we can certainly go. Dr Pitt mentioned that he is a little worried about you walking though, after you told him that you didn't do anything over the weekend. That's why he put that into the instructions."

"Thank you. Is my breathing a problem? Is that why Brad wants you to keep checking?"

"No. He wants me to check your breathing just to make sure you don't develop any complications, especially after walking around. Ten minutes is the least amount of time we are going to spend walking, and since you've been in bed for the last week, there is the possibility of have some problems. It's nothing to worry about, I'll make sure you're alright."

"Okay. The medication that I have to take, is that the same as the antibiotics I was getting in the hospital?"

"Yes. You were about halfway through the course when you were discharged this morning, so you do need to keep taking it."

"How long will I be on them?"

"The rest of this week. You should be finished on Saturday."

"How many times a day? Majority of the time I spent in hospital, it was being given to me through an IV. Over Saturday and Sunday, it was tablets, twice a day."

"It'll still be twice a day. Dr Pitt said that you had this morning's dose before you were discharged, so we'll start the tablets at dinner time. What time do you eat dinner?"

"When I'm not working, it's around five-thirty, six o'clock."

"Okay. Do you have anymore questions?"

"What's involved in the check-ups?"

"Pretty much, I'll just check your breathing, blood pressure and pulse. I may check your temperature once a day too, just to make sure you aren't getting a fever."

"When are these checks going to happen?"

"I'll do one when I get here each morning, and one before I leave each night. I will probably do one after we come back from walking, mainly just to check your breathing. And if it's needed at any other time of the day, I'll do one. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Are you staying overnight?"

"No. I will leave instructions and my phone number for Agent Gibbs, just in case you need me, but you'll be alright."

Tony nodded. "Can we go outside now?"

Sasha laughed. "Of course we can." She stood up and held a hand out to Tony, not sure if he needed help or not. He hadn't left the couch since she had arrived.

"I'm okay." Tony got up and swayed a little, but was fine a moment later. He followed Sasha to the door, making sure he locked up behind himself.


	11. Chapter 11

The day was lovely, and Tony was enjoying being outside in the fresh air. Sasha was sitting with him and they were having a conversation. It was comfortable, like they had been friends for most of their lives.

"I love movies," said Sasha happily. "I thought I was crazy, honestly. I don't know anyone that loves movies as much as I do."

"You aren't crazy," said Tony, playfully hitting her arm. "Movies are the best."

"What's your favourite movie?"

"It's A Wonderful Life. What about you?"

"The Godfather. Is that weird?"

"Not at all. I love that movie too. Actually, I love the entire trilogy."

Sasha giggled. "Me too. You know, I think we're going to get along really well this week."

"So do I." Tony leaned back onto the grass. "It's a beautiful day. I didn't realise how much of this nice weather I missed while I was in that hospital bed."

"Actually, you only missed the weekend, really. Last week was boring. It rained almost all day, every day. Trust me, being in that bed was better than being outside."

Tony smiled. Sasha was a great woman, a lovely friend. "Thank you for coming into my life."

"As soon as my boss asked me to come out to you, I was happy. You're the first outpatient I've ever gotten to look after at home. Usually, I only do it in hospitals."

"Why?"

"Well, at first, it was because I was new to the job. You train in the hospital. But then, I don't know if it was because there weren't any patients to look after, or if there was another reason. It doesn't really matter, I met some really lovely people in the hospital, but I'm really glad that I get to work with you now."

"I am too. I can already tell we're going to be good friends." Tony smiled happily, then decided to check his watch. "But, I think it's time to head back. It's almost five."

Sasha waited for Tony, then they slowly walked back into the apartment building, already missing the sun outside.

* * *

"So, what are you interested in eating for dinner?" Sasha asked. "And, no, you can't have pizza tonight. Maybe tomorrow."

"Why?" Tony pouted.

"Because, all you've had in the past week is hospital food. We all know how shocking that food is. You need to ease yourself back into it, unless you like being sick?"

"Uh, no. Okay, no pizza." Tony opened the fridge with a smile. "I guess we're having beef salad and chips."

"Sorry?"

"Kate restocked my fridge this morning. She must have made dinner too."

"Who's Kate?"

"One of my co-workers. You might like her, actually. She's smart, and funny, but annoying at the same time."

Sasha laughed. "Sounds like she cares about you. She made you dinner."

"Yeah. I'll bet that if I open the freezer, there are more dinners in there." Tony took out the food and handed it to Sasha, then opened the freezer. "Told you. There's enough food in here for a month."

"I guess you're all set then. No pizza for you in the near future."

"I'll get my pizza. Maybe I'll invite everyone over for dinner on Friday. Would that be okay?"

"This is your apartment, Tony."

"I know. I just meant..."

"I know what you meant. If you want your friends to come over, that's completely fine."

"Are you sure? Will I be well enough?"

"I can always check you beforehand, but, yes, you'll be fine."

Tony smiled. "Friday it is then. And you will have to stay for dinner, of course."

"I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be. Besides, I feel like we're already friends, so you'll stay too."

Sasha shook her head as she laughed. Tony was right, though, it felt like they were already friends, despite only knowing each other for a few hours.

* * *

"Alright, Tony. Time to take your meds and do a check-up before I leave," said Sasha two hours later. It was almost seven pm.

Tony looked up from where he had been reading a book while he waited for Gibbs to finish making coffee. He had forgotten about the time.

"Okay." Tony put his book down and stood, heading into the bedroom. He and Sasha had decided that it would be more comfortable for Tony if they had privacy for the check-ups.

Sasha followed Tony into the room and closed the door. She put her bag on the bed and laughed. Tony was sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking up at her with a look of pure innocence on his face.

"What's so funny?" Tony asked.

"Nothing. You look adorable like that." She opened the bag and too out a stethoscope. "You can stay sitting like that if you're comfortable, but I need you to lift your top for me."

Tony grinned as he followed Sasha's instructions. He couldn't help it.

"Take a deep breath for me."

Tony took a few deep breaths and let Sasha work for a moment before he started laughing.

"Okay, mister, what's so funny?" Sasha asked as she brought the stethoscope around to Tony's chest to listen to his heart.

"Nothing. The stethoscope is cold, that's all."

"How is that funny?"

"It tickles a little as you move it around."

"You are nuts, Tony." Sasha was smiling too, though, enjoying the time she spent with Tony. "Okay. Let's check your blood pressure."

Tony dropped his top and dutifully held his arm out to Sasha so she could wrap the blood pressure cuff around his arm.

"Do you think you can keep quiet long enough for me to check your temperature?"

Tony nodded. He opened his mouth and let Sasha put the thermometer in.

"Keep it in while I check your blood pressure. No talking."

Tony nodded again. He could feel his body relaxing as Sasha gently worked, making sure not to hurt him. It lasted only two minutes, but it was enough for Tony to feel like he could trust her completely.

"Alright. Blood pressure and temperature are both normal. Let's check your pulse, then I'll be done."

"Was my breathing okay?" Tony asked as Sasha rested her fingers on his wrist.

"Yes. Your lungs are clear, and as long as they stay that way, you'll be fine." Sasha frowned. "I can't find your pulse. Is it alright if I press a little more?"

"Sure." Tony felt the fingers on his wrist press down slightly, though it was still a gentle, comfortable touch.

"That's better. Your pulse is strong, which is exactly what I want to be feeling."

"That's good."

Sasha nodded. "That's great." She grabbed the bottle of tablets she had brought in with her and tipped two into her palm. "Swallow them for me."

Tony put the first tablet into his mouth and swallowed it with some water. Then he repeated the action with the second tablet. They tasted disgusting.

"Good job. Now, I'm heading off. I'll be back tomorrow morning, but if you need me, I've left my number with Agent Gibbs. Don't hesitate to call if you need something."

"Okay. Thank you Sasha." Tony walked her to the door, waving goodbye until she disappeared into the elevator.

"Miss her already, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. He was smirking.

"Sort of. I enjoyed her company today. She's funny, and totally into watching movies with me all day."

Gibbs sighed. He was glad that he wasn't the one stuck watching movies all day long, but he wandered how Tony would feel once Sasha's job was done and they parted ways. He didn't want to pick up the pieces of Tony's broken heart.


	12. Chapter 12

Tony was still asleep when Gibbs left on Tuesday morning, swapping with Sasha. He had gone to bed late the night before, having watched 'It's A Wonderful Life' with Gibbs. He only woke up when he caught a whiff off bacon cooking. Getting up, Tony washed his face and headed out to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Tony," said Sasha cheerfully as she put the last of the cooked bacon onto a plate. "Come and sit down. You can eat, then take the meds."

"When did you get here?" Tony asked with a yawn.

"Half an hour ago. Agent Gibbs said you were still sleeping, so I figured I'd get breakfast started. I hope you like bacon and egg."

Tony's eyes widened when Sasha put a plate in front of him. It was heaped with eggs and bacon. There were two slices on toast on the side.

"You can't have coffee yet, but you can have orange juice if you want."

"Juice is good." Tony smiled. "This is amazing, Sasha. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sasha took a seat across from Tony, and they ate in silence.

* * *

"Okay, Tony, let's get you outside," said Sasha. It was ten am.

"Do you think we could go for a walk instead of just sitting outside?" asked Tony as he tied up his runners.

"Sure. That sounds like fun. Where do you want to walk to?"

"Uh... There's a lovely little park about ten blocks away. It's a good walk. You have to climb a couple of hills to get there."

"Are you sure you want to try that?"

"Yes."

"Okay. We can certainly walk there. It's not a ten minute walk, but I think we can be flexible today, especially since we'll be walking up hills. When we get back, I'll call Dr Pitt and discuss the walk with him. We might be able to switch up the ten minute time limit and substitute it with this walk, if it's a good walk."

"Thank you."

* * *

They were four blocks into the walk when Tony stopped. He was breathing heavily.

"Tony? Are you alright?" Sasha asked worriedly. She took a water bottle out of her bag that she had brought along for Tony.

"Yeah. I just need a minute."

"Do you want to go back? We don't have to do this."

"No. I want to keep going."

"Alright. Drink some water, then we'll continue."

Tony drank a quarter of the bottle, took a few deep breaths, then stood up from where he had taken a seat on the concrete. "I'm ready," he said.

Sasha nodded. They started walking again, but this time they were slower. When they reached the first hill, Sasha looked at Tony, but he seemed much better and was taking the hill in his stride, so she followed him up. After two more blocks and another hill, Sasha stopped. Tony was standing just ahead of her, breathing deeply to catch his breath, but the view was amazing. She could understand why Tony had wanted to continue and not head back home.

"Wow! This is lovely, Tony."

"I told you it was worth it. Come on, there's a shady area over there with a picnic table we can sit at for a while." Tony smiled happily as he started off again.

* * *

Three hours later, Tony was back in his apartment. He and Sasha had ended up eating lunch at the park while they chatted. But Tony was happy to be home now. He was tired and his legs were sore from walking. He dropped to the couch and sat there, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

"Relax Tony," said Sasha as she joined him. She had some water in her hand and passed it over. "Have a drink. You did a good job out there."

Tony drank the water and was silent for a moment. He was breathing properly again, but his chest felt a little tight.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Sort of. My chest kind of hurts a little."

"Okay. Describe the pain."

"It's sort of tight, like when you can't get enough air into your lungs because you're exhausted."

"A normal feeling after a long walk."

"That wasn't long."

"Maybe not normally. But you haven't done any strenuous activity in a week. Chest tightness and a lack of stamina is quite normal. I can check you, if you want."

Tony nodded. He hadn't wanted to ask, but he was glad that Sasha had understood him.

"I'll be right back." Sasha walked over to the door, opened her bag, and pulled out a stethoscope. She came and sat down with Tony again. "Take a deep breath."

A few minutes later, Tony was resting on the couch, watching a movie. He was falling asleep while Sasha was on the phone.

* * *

"Hi Sasha," said Brad. "How's Tony going?"

"Good. We went for a short walk before lunch. We got four blocks down from his apartment building when Tony stopped for the first time. I think he overestimated his energy, to be honest, but he pushed through it and kept going after a drink and a short rest. We had lunch while we were out, then came back. The walk back was easier since we were going downhill, but when we got back, Tony told me that he was feeling a little out of breath. He's fine, but I think he may have scared himself a little."

"Did you tell him that he's okay?"

"Yes."

"Then he will be fine. He just needs some reassurance. How's his health in general?"

"Good. He's doing better than I thought he would. Has he been taking the antibiotics?"

"Yes. He hasn't taken painkillers during the day, and Agent Gibbs said he's been good overnight."

"That's really good. I think Tony's really benefiting from your company. Thank you for doing this."

"It's my job, firstly, and then I get to have fun. Tony's hilarious, plus I get to watch movies all day."

Brad laughed. "Go have some fun. Tony's probably waiting to watch more movies."


	13. Chapter 13

Tony fell asleep early that night. Sasha had let Gibbs give Tony his medication to let him rest longer when she had been ready to leave. He was exhausted from the long day he had had. Thankfully, Tony slept through the night, and Gibbs was able to rest as well.

* * *

Wednesday morning was rainy. Tony was up before Gibbs and tiptoed to the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of them. He was halfway through making the coffee when Gibbs came in.

"You should be asleep still, Tony," said Gibbs.

"I'm good. Are you hungry? I made toast and the coffee is almost done."

"Coffee sounds good. I thought you weren't allowed to drink it yet?"

"I'm not. I have a glass of orange juice here. I figured you'd want some though." Tony handed a mug to Gibbs.

"Thank you." Gibbs grabbed the toast and put it on the table. "Come and eat. After you eat, I'll get your medication for you."

"I can get it. It's in my room still."

"Make sure you actually take it, Tony."

"I will. I'm not interested in going back to the hospital."

"Good." Gibbs ate a piece of toast and finished his coffee. "I'm going to get ready for work. Sasha will be here in a few minutes."

Tony nodded. His mouth was full of toast. By the time Gibbs returned, he was washing the dishes.

"Here's your meds, Tony." Gibbs handed the bottle over.

"Thanks." Tony swallowed two tablets and then drank a whole glass of water to get rid of the aftertaste. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes. Sasha is on her way up, so you'll be fine for a few minutes. I'll see you tonight." Gibbs walked off, looking back before he went out the apartment door to make sure Tony was alright.

* * *

Sasha smiled when she saw Tony sitting on the couch, already dressed in comfortable clothing to go outside in. He looked happy.

"Hey, Tony. How are you this morning?"

"I'm good. Can we go for a walk now?" Tony asked happily.

"After a quick check-up, we can go."

Tony nodded. "We can do it here, since it's just us. I feel comfortable to do my check-up on the couch."

"Alright. Let's get started then. Can you take your jumper and the t-shirt off please?"

Tony pulled his jumper off and put it on the couch. Then he took his shirt off and put it with the jumper.

"Thank you." Sasha smiled. She put her stethoscope on and placed it against Tony's back. "Take some deep breaths please."

Tony took several deep breaths as Sasha moved the stethoscope around his back. He was relaxed for once, feeling completely at ease.

"Okay. Just breathe normally for me. I'm going to have a listen to your heart." Sasha placed her stethoscope on Tony's chest and moved it around, listening to his heartbeat. She moved slowly, listening for any irregularities. "Okay, done. Heart and breathing are both good. Let's check your blood pressure now." She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Tony's arm and placed her stethoscope just below the cuff. She pumped air in for a couple of minutes, then released it, glad that the monitor showed a normal blood pressure, and also glad that the blood flow sounded normal.

"Pulse next?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Sasha placed her fingers against Tony's wrist and applied some pressure. The pulse she could feel was strong and steady. "That's good. I just want to double check it."

"Alright."

Sasha moved her fingers from Tony's wrist and placed them on his neck. She gently applied pressure until she could feel the pulse. "Steady and strong. That's good."

"What's next?"

"I'll check your temperature, then we're done. You can put your clothes back on while I get the thermometer ready."

Tony nodded. He put his shirt and jumper on, the sat down again. He opened his mouth and let Sasha put the thermometer in, then closed it. He sat against the back of the couch while he waited for the two minutes to be up.

"Alright, done. Your temperature is perfect." Sasha gave Tony a smile. "Ready to go outside before it starts raining again?"

"Definitely." Tony was up in a flash.

With a laugh, Sasha followed Tony out of the apartment.

* * *

"Sasha, what are we going to do about walking today? It's meant to rain," said Tony after they had been outside for an hour.

"We'll skip it today. I don't want you to get sick."

"Won't Brad be upset?"

"I already discussed it with him. He was impressed with your determination yesterday, and your perseverance while we were walking. He's agreed that we can skip walking today, but we will probably come outside again if we get the chance. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warm enough to walk, so we'll just double our walk time to make up for today."

"Alright." Tony closed his eyes as the sun tried to come out from behind the fast moving clouds.

"What do you want for lunch? We could try pizza today."

"I have some leftover food from yesterday in the fridge. I was thinking we could just have that for lunch. I was wanting to do pizza for dinner on Friday. It's quick and easy, and I can just get some paper plates instead of washing dishes."

"Alright. It's completely up to you. Are you feeling comfortable about having everyone here on Friday?"

"Yes. I actually miss their company. It isn't many people, anyway. Just Gibbs, Kate, Tim and Ducky."

"So, six in total, including us?"

"Yes. And I already know what they like on their pizzas, so I can order them and have them ready by the time they arrive."

"Sounds good to me."

Tony smiled, but they shot upright. "It's starting to rain," he said, wiping the rain drop from his eye.

"Let's get inside before it gets heavier." Sasha stood and helped Tony up, then they walked quickly back to the apartment building.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: We have skipped two days since the last chapter. It's now Friday afternoon.**

* * *

Tony was excited. His friends would be at his apartment in an hour and he had a fun evening planned for everyone. Gibbs had told him that their case was closed, but it had been draining. Tony wanted everyone to relax and enjoy the night. He was glad that Sasha was there, though, because she had helped him plan the night, down to the last detail. He was sad that she would be leaving on Sunday, but also happy that he no longer needed constant medical attention and care. He would get enough of that from Ducky anyway.

"Tony? You ready to order?" Sasha asked.

"Yes. I'm just getting the number now." Tony searched through his drawer and pulled out a menu. He quickly located the number for his favourite pizza place and dialed it.

"Porky's Pizza Restaurant. How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'd like to order a few pizzas, all large sized."

"Of course. How many would you like?"

"Six."

"Okay. Go ahead."

"I'd like a cheese pizza, with extra cheese, sausage, and pepperoni. I'd like a Margherita, with extra cheese. I'd like a hot and spicy. I'd like a barbecue chicken pizza. And I would like two meatlovers."

"Would you like any drinks with that order?"

"No thank you."

"Pick up or delivery?"

"Pick up, please."

"Not a problem." The man on the phone gave Tony a price and they hung up.

"How long until we need to pick them up?" Sasha asked as she finished setting up the kitchen table.

"Twenty minutes."

"Alright. Are you sure you still want to go?"

"Yes. Let's clean up and go."

* * *

Tony was so happy to be back in his favourite take out shop. He loved the smells and the atmosphere. The people were great. He had a couple of friends that worked there, and everyone knew him by name.

"Tony! It's been so long since we've seen you," said the owner, Jeremy.

"I haven't really been very well the last two weeks," said Tony.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright now?"

"Yeah. Not one hundred percent, but definitely better."

"That's good. So you'll be coming back to us again?"

"Of course. I'd never dream of going anywhere else."

"Good. Now, you have a large order today."

"I'm having a little get together with some friends. Like I said, I haven't been very well, and I've been stuck between a hospital bed and my apartment. I haven't seen anyone or done anything."

"Hospital? What was wrong with you?"

"Trust me, you do not want to know." Tony smiled. "Besides, I'm okay now, and I don't need to dwell on it."

"Good for you, Tony," said Marisa, Jeremy's wife. "Jeremy, leave him alone. We would like to keep our customers. Especially the ones that are here constantly."

"Thank you, Marisa. I'm in a bit of a hurry, though. My friends are going to be at my apartment in half an hour, and I need to get back to the apartment before them."

"No problem. Your order has just come out of the oven. I'll get it for you." Marisa gave Tony a big smile and walked away.

"Did I upset you, Tony?" Jeremy asked.

"Of course not. I think Marisa is just a little protective. How have you been?"

"Good. I missed you. We didn't get to go out like we planned."

"I know. I was in the hospital at the time. But, I promise, when I'm completely better, we will hang out. Just give me some time, okay?"

"Of course." Jeremy gave Tony a smile as Marisa came out with the pizza boxes. "Enjoy your night. And when we do hang out, I want all the details about what made you so sick that you couldn't come and hang with me."

Tony laughed. "We'll see, Jeremy. Have a good night."

Tony and Sasha headed out to Sasha's car. "I take it this is your go to pizza parlor?" Sasha asked.

"It sure is. Sasha, when can I start driving again?"

"I'm not too sure. You'll need to ask Dr Pitt when you see him on Monday. But if you want to hang out with your friends, just get them to pick you up. Or I can drive you there on the weekend."

"I don't know if I'm ready to hang around Jeremy. He's a good friend, but he's also quite full on. I want to be at least well enough to return to work before I spend time with him."

"That's fair enough."

They drove the rest of the way home in silence as Tony contemplated what his life was going to be like once he was allowed to go back to work.

* * *

Dinner was quiet, with everyone except Tony and Sasha exhausted from the long days at work. Only Gibbs got out early, and that was to come and stay with Tony overnight. If it weren't for the fact that Tony wasn't to be alone at any time that week, even Gibbs would have been putting in overtime all week long.

"I think it's time for me to go," said Ducky after dinner.

"You don't want to stay for our movie night?" Tony asked.

"I need to get some rest. I am very tired. Maybe we could do this another time?" Ducky said.

"Okay." Tony gave Ducky a quick hug. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course, Anthony. I am very happy to see that you are feeling much better and doing much better. Please continue to follow Dr Pitt's instructions."

"I will Ducky."

"I will see you on Monday."

"Why?"

"I am taking you to your appointment. Jethro has a meeting with the director."

"Poor director. Okay, I will see you on Monday then. Did Gibbs give you the appointment time?"

"Ten-thirty am. I will pick you up at nine-thirty."

"Okay. Thanks Ducky." Tony said goodbye and returned to the table, where everyone was talking. "Anyone want to watch a movie?"

"Sure," said Kate with a smile. "I don't have anywhere to be tomorrow."

"I'll join you for one movie," said McGee, "but then I have to go. Sarah and I are going to visit our grandmother tomorrow."

"Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"I'll join you after I have a shower."

"Okay. Sasha?"

"Actually, I'm going to head off. I'll be back tomorrow, we can watch something then. Don't forget to take your tablets, Tony."

"I won't."

"He won't," said Kate. "We'll make sure he takes them."

"Thanks." Sasha smiled evilly at Tony. "If he doesn't, you have my permission to hold him down and force them down his throat."

Tony looked scared. He had a feeling that Kate would actually do that if he so much as missed his time by a minute.

"Relax, Tony. I wouldn't let anyone do that to you," said Sasha. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

An hour later, Kate and McGee were gone, and Gibbs was guiding a sleepy Tony to the bedroom.

"Okay, Tony, get some sleep. It's been a long day," he said.

"Night boss..." mumbled Tony as he made himself comfortable in his bed.

"Good night, Tony." Gibbs made sure the blankets were covering Tony properly so he wouldn't get cold.


	15. Chapter 15

Tony's weekend had been interesting. On Saturday morning, Sasha had gotten him out of the apartment and taken him to a theatre to watch the latest movie that was out. They had eaten lunch at a small cafe near the theatre, then gone home. That afternoon, they had watched several movies together. Then Sasha had taken Tony to Gibbs' house for dinner. Tony spent the night with Gibbs, then Sasha had picked him up on Sunday morning. They spent the day at Tony's apartment, enjoying each other's company. By the time Sasha had left that night, Tony felt comfortable enough to say goodbye to his new friend. Gibbs had stayed the night, then gone to work early on Monday morning, leaving Tony some breakfast in the fridge.

Tony was now waiting for Ducky to arrive. He had eaten his breakfast and was dressed for the day. He had chosen to wear sweatpants and a jumper instead of his normal suit since he wasn't going to work, but it was comfortable and convenient if Brad needed access to his body.

A knock at the door had Tony up immediately. He wanted to get his follow up exam over with already. He hated going to any doctor, especially a doctor in a hospital.

"Hi, Ducky," said Tony as he closed his apartment door behind him.

"I see you are ready to go, Anthony," Ducky commented with a smile.

"The quicker I do it, the better."

"Very well. Let's go then."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Tony and Ducky were sitting outside Brad's office. He had another patient in the room, so they were waiting patiently.

"Ducky, do you think that Brad is going to be happy with my health?" Tony finally asked. It had been worrying him all morning.

"I think he will be impressed, yes. You've been doing very well, and you are determined to get better. You have followed all of his instructions and continued to take the antibiotics he prescribed. You are going to fly through this exam. And I will be waiting out here to take you home afterwards."

Tony nodded, feeling slightly relieved. "Thank you."

Ducky gave Tony a reassuring pat on the hand just as the door to Brad's office opened. A man walked out, followed by Brad a few minutes later.

"Tony, come in," said Brad. He smiled brightly.

Tony stood up and followed his doctor into the office.

"How are you today?" Brad asked once the door was closed and they were both seated.

"Nervous," admitted Tony.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it's just because I know that I'm not better yet, but I really want to be and I really don't want another nurse to stay with me each day."

"That's fine. I'm not going to send another nurse home with you unless it's necessary. You're here today for a check-up and to see how you're getting along. You don't need to be nervous."

Tony nodded. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Okay. So, what exactly do I need to do?"

"Well, to start with, let's just get a look at your vitals. Can you take the jumper off for me?"

Tony took his jumper off. "T-shirt too?"

"No. I can work around the t-shirt. Hop up on the bed and we'll start with your blood pressure."

Tony climbed up and sat on the bed. He still felt a little nervous as Brad came over and put the leather cuff around his arm.

"Tony, just relax. You're going to be fine. This is just protocol. Sasha has updated me on how you were during the week. I don't have an issue with your health right now."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. Relax for me, or I won't be able to get proper readings." Brad adjusted the leather around Tony's arm while he waited for Tony to calm down. "That's better. Now, let's start." Brad put his stethoscope on and rested it on Tony's arm, just beneath the cuff. He pumped air in and watched the monitor, smiling when the numbers on the screen were normal. "Good job. That's much better. Now, let's check your pulse, then I'll listen to your heart and lungs. Remember to relax."

Tony nodded. He was feeling better now. Brad's gentle touch and care when using his medical equipment was helping him to relax and be comfortable. He held his hand out to Brad.

"Thank you." Brad pressed his fingers against Tony's wrist for a few seconds. "Your pulse is strong and steady, exactly what I want to feel. Can you lift your top for me?"

Tony lifted his t-shirt up and let Brad listen to his lungs. He could feel the stethoscope linger longer than normal in each spot, and Brad checked each spot twice, but something about Brad's demeanor and calm attitude helped him feel at ease.

"Alright. Sorry about that taking a while. I wanted to be sure about what I was hearing."

"What did you hear?"

"Nothing. Which is excellent. Your lungs are clear, and you're breathing very well. I didn't expect for you to be doing this well at this stage of your recovery, but you keep surprising me."

Tony grinned. "I'm full of surprises, Brad."

"I figured you would be. Okay, lay down, but keep your top up. I'm going to listen to your heart, and I want to do an ECG, just to make sure that your heart is coping with the added stress of your recovery."

"Okay." Tony did as he was told. He relaxed his body as Brad placed the stethoscope on his chest and listened to his heart. He stayed relaxed while Brad performed the ECG and printed out a copy of Tony's heartbeat.

"Looking good, Tony. You can sit up now, and you can let your top fall down again. The next test I want to do will test your lungs. They are clear, which is great, and you can breathe properly, which is also great, but I want to see the extent of the damage done to your lungs. It's not the most comfortable exam, but it doesn't take too long, and if you want to stop, you just have to say so."

"What do I have to do?"

"First, we are going to do a spirometry test. I'll get you to blow into a tube that's connected to a monitor. It will measure how much air you exhale and how long it takes for you to exhale, and will measure the amount of air you inhale. It takes a minute to complete."

"That sounds easy."

"Good. I need you to stay calm and relaxed during the test, okay?"

"Okay."

"After the spirometry test, we're going to do a gas diffusion test. It takes a minute as well. You will breathe in air containing a tiny amount of carbon monoxide and a gas, then we'll measure the gas in the air you exhale."

"Sounds alright as well."

"You'll be fine. I will be right here, and we can end the tests at any moment if we need to. I'll be monitoring your heart rate just to be safe."

Tony nodded. He made himself comfortable on the bed while Brad attached a heart monitor to him and started the tests.


	16. Chapter 16

Half an hour later, Tony was finished with the testing Brad had subjected him to. He was sitting in the chair again while Brad looked over the test results.

"From what I can see, Tony, you're doing quite well. I don't think you need to be in the hospital again, nor do you need constant care at home anymore. I think that tonight, a quick check-up from Dr Mallard and Gibbs staying over would be a good idea, but, starting tomorrow, you can decide if you want company overnight. I will call Gibbs to let him know about that. I will also speak to Dr Mallard, but a check-up every two to three days will suffice. I think you are doing remarkably well with your recovery, so if you want to return to work on Monday, that is fine. Just try to take it easy, and if you feel sick or tired, go home. The more rest you get, the better you will feel. Is that making sense?"

"Yeah, it makes perfect sense."

"Good. I will make another appointment for you. How does next Tuesday sound?"

"Not tomorrow?"

"No."

"Then that will be fine. Thank you, Brad."

* * *

Tony said goodbye to Ducky after he was dropped off at home that afternoon. The doctor had promised to return after work to do a quick check-up, and Gibbs had already called to say that he would be there after work to stay the night. Tony was glad to be back on his own two feet, but his apartment felt empty now that Sasha was gone.

"I'll watch a movie," Tony said to himself after a moment. "It'll give me something to do."

Tony sat down and turned on the TV. He was watching the start of a boring movie when he heard a knock on his door.

"I'm coming," Tony called as he got up. He opened the door, and smiled happily. "Hey, Abbs. Come in."

"I should have called first, I know," said Abby. "Sorry."

"Don't be silly! I am so happy you're here."

"You are?"

"Yes! Do you know how boring it is when you're stuck at home alone?"

"Not really. But I guess you would be bored. When can you come back to work?"

"Monday, on the condition that I take it easy at work and go home as soon as I feel sick or tired."

"Yay! I can't wait for you to come back, Tony. I miss you."

"Miss you too, Abbs." Tony let her hug him. "Do you want to watch a movie with me?"

"Yes." Abby gave him a look that clearly said 'of course I do!' and sat back on the couch.

* * *

Ducky arrived just before five pm that evening, his medical bag in hand. He knocked on the door and heard Abby say to come in. She sounded quiet, but when Ducky entered the apartment, he realised why. Tony had fallen asleep on the couch, his head resting on Abby's lap. Abby had covered him with a blanket and was gently stroking his hair. She had the TV on, but her attention was on Tony. She looked happy, and Tony looked peaceful. Ducky didn't want to disturb them.

"You can come over here, Ducky," said Abby. "I'll wake him up for you."

"How long has he been sleeping?"

"Almost two hours. He must be tired, he fell asleep during the Godfather."

"It's been a tiring day. His doctor ran several tests this morning that sapped his energy."

Abby nodded, turning her attention back to her 'brother'. "Tony," she said gently.

Tony stirred and opened his eyes. It took a minute for him to register his surroundings, but then he noticed Ducky and pulled himself up.

"Hi. When did you get here?" Tony asked.

"A few minutes ago. You looked perfectly comfortable there."

"Abby is comfortable," Tony agreed. "Is it time for a check up?"

"Yes."

"I'll go start dinner," said Abby as she stood up.

"Thank you Abby. Can we do it in my room?"

"Lead the way, Anthony."

Tony stood and walked to his bedroom. Ducky was right behind him. He sat on the bed and looked at Ducky.

"What do you need to do?" Tony asked, still half asleep.

"Just a quick check. I'll check your breathing and vitals, then I'm done."

Tony nodded, giving his permission to start.

* * *

By the time Gibbs got back to Tony's apartment that evening, Ducky was already there. His car was parked downstairs. After knocking, Gibbs walked in and found Abby cooking in the kitchen.

"Hi, Gibbs," said Abby happily. "Ducky is checking Tony, they'll be done in a few minutes. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yes. I'm staying here for the night."

"Good. Dinner will be ready in a moment, and it's Tony's favourite."

"Lasagna?"

"Pizza. Homemade. Tony and I made it earlier today, between movies."

"He must have enjoyed that."

"He did. You should have seen the smile on his face while we were making the dough, Gibbs. He was excited, and he hasn't looked that way since he got sick." Abby pulled her phone out. "I got some good photos of him."

Gibbs grinned when he saw a picture of Tony covered in flour. His face was white, as were his hands and clothes. Red sauce lined his cheek were it had clearly been smeared, probably by Abby. It was a wonderful picture, but what made Gibbs the happiest was the huge, beaming smile on his agent's face that lit up his eyes as well as his face.

"What happened before you took this photo?"

"Uh, we had a bit of a problem. We put too much of the dry mixture into the mixer and it sort of flew everywhere. The high speed probably didn't help."

"I would think not. Thank you, Abby, for getting Tony to smile. He looks so happy."

"I think I kind of tired him out too. I forgot that his energy wasn't back to normal yet, and I was kind of energetic. He was trying to keep up. He ended up falling asleep during one of the Godfather movies."

"I wasn't tired because of you," said Tony as he entered the room with Ducky supporting him. "I'm tired because it's been a long day."

"You are being serious, right?" Abby asked.

"Yes. I wouldn't lie to you, Abbs."

Abby smiled. "I know. I was just checking." She gave Tony one of her 'Abby' hugs and took his hand to lead him to the table. "Anyway, the pizzas are ready. Sit down, I'll get them out."

"You don't have to do everything, Abby. I can do things on my own."

"So? I want to help." Abby smiled. "Besides, you are tired and look like you're going to fall flat on your face soon."

Tony laughed. He couldn't seem to get angry with his little 'sister'. He knew she wasn't being mean, just caring. "Ducky, are you interested in joining us for dinner?"

"No thank you, Anthony. Mother is waiting for me, so I'd best be going. Thank you for the offer, and maybe another time."

Tony nodded. He got up and started collecting plates for everyone.

* * *

Gibbs followed Ducky to the door, then stopped his friend.

"How is he, Duck? It was obvious he was having some trouble just now."

"Anthony is fine, Jethro. He's tired, which is normal after the tests he had to take this morning."

"What happened at the check-up?"

"Dr Pitt just examined him and did a few tests on his lungs, that's all. He did a blood test, but that came back clean. Anthony needs to put some more weight on now that he's doing better, but that will come in time, especially if he keeps eating pizza. The tests on his lungs showed that he's doing very well. He can breathe properly, which is a big relief. His lungs are clear and there are no signs of an infection. He is healthy."

"The scarring on his lungs? Has that improved?"

"That won't improve. They are scars, same as if they were on skin. But it is minimal, and better than anyone could have hoped for in this situation. The scarring will not affect him, and Dr Pitt will continue to monitor Anthony's health closely from now on."

"Does Tony know about the change in his doctors?"

"Of course. He and Dr Pitt discussed it this morning. Anthony is happy to have his friend as his doctor. He is comfortable with the new medical examination time frames too."

Gibbs sighed in relief. "Thank you, Duck."

"Anytime. Now, I need to get going, and you need to get back into the kitchen for dinner. I will see you tomorrow."


	17. Chapter 17

On Tuesday morning, Tony walked up to his boss, feeling nervous and shy. He had a question to ask, and he really hoped that Gibbs would agree.

"Boss?"

"Yeah, Tony?" Gibbs asked as he finished washing up the breakfast dishes.

"Uh..."

"Spit it out, DiNozzo."

"I was hoping that, maybe, you might stay here tonight? I know Brad said that it wasn't necessary anymore, but I kind of was hoping you would anyway."

Gibbs turned around with a smile. "Of course I can stay again, Tony. You don't need to be nervous."

"Thank you," Tony said in relief. "I think I've gotten used to having someone here all the time, and it feels a little weird to be alone."

"Trust me, a couple of days of me being here all the time will cure that."

Tony laughed. "All the time?"

"Yep. I'm taking the day off today and we are going to go out somewhere. You aren't staying stuck in this apartment now that Sasha is gone."

"You're staying today, all day?" Tony asked, hoping he had heard correctly.

"I sure am. Go and get some shoes, we're going for a walk."

Tony grinned happily as he disappeared into his bedroom and grabbed his runners.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Tony was walking alongside Gibbs in the park he had taken Sasha to a week earlier. He was so happy that his boss was there with him.

"Tony, let's go this way," said Gibbs, pointing at a track that Tony had always used for running before getting sick.

"Okay. It leads to a stream if we follow it the whole way."

"How far is it?"

"About five minutes. I used to do this while running, and it would take a couple of minutes."

"Well, there'll be no running today, but I'll talk to Brad later about taking you to a gym and getting you to exercise in there under the watchful eye of Ducky."

"You mean I can actually do something more than walking?"

"Possibly. It will depend on what Brad says."

"Thank you, Gibbs." Tony smiled and started walking down the track.

Gibbs shook his head in exasperation as he followed his young friend down the track. He was happy to see the difference in Tony's health, it gave him a good feeling to know that Tony was recovering so well.

* * *

Two hours later, Tony and Gibbs was back in Tony's apartment. Tony had gone for a shower, leaving Gibbs to call Brad.

"Hey Gibbs. How's Tony?" Brad asked, knowing Gibbs would be with the younger man.

"He's great, actually. We just got back from a walk. It lasted an hour and forty minutes."

"That was quite a walk. Is Tony doing okay?"

"He's doing better than I am. He went to shower, and I think he might be done. I can hear him in his bedroom."

"Wow. I'm amazed. I must say that I didn't think Tony would be ready for such a task just yet."

"I was thinking of taking him to a gym tomorrow so he can do some exercise with Ducky watching over him. Would that be okay?"

"Sure. It might help him with his recovery actually. It'll give him some extra strength. Just get Dr Mallard to examine him before exercise and after exercise to be sure that he's not overdoing anything."

"Of course." Gibbs heard the door to Tony's room open and turned. "Tony, guess what we're doing tomorrow?"

Tony's eyes lit up. "Brad said it was okay?"

"He did. You can ask him if you want. He's on the phone now."

"I believe you!" Tony danced off to the couch to set up a movie for them to watch.

"He sounds excited," said Brad.

"He is," Gibbs agreed. "Very. I better get going before he decides to watch Stagecoach without me."

"Good luck tomorrow. If he needs me, call and I'll come out to him."

"Thank you, Brad." Gibbs said goodbye and put his phone away. He joined Tony on the couch as the movie started.

* * *

Two hours later, Tony was buzzing with excitement. The movie was finished, and Gibbs had told him that the team had organised dinner at a restaurant to thank Tony for the amazing dinner and entertainment he had provided the previous Friday, and to celebrate his genuinely surprising recovery. He wanted to go, but he was waiting for Gibbs to shower and change.

"Gibbs! Hurry up!" Tony called as the older man finally emerged from the bathroom.

"Relax, Tony. Dinner isn't for another hour, and it won't take us ten minutes to get there."

"I want to go now! I can't wait."

Gibbs smiled. He loved it when Tony was happy and vibrant. Especially now that he had faced death. Gibbs had been worried for a while that Tony wouldn't cope very well with the psychological issues associated with nearly dying, but his 'son' was certainly coping quite well. He had put the worries behind him and moved on to enjoy his life again. Gibbs, on the other hand, seemed to have trouble accepting that Tony really was doing much better and almost ready to return to work. But, Gibbs ignored that for now to help Tony calm down.

"Tony, if we go now, we'll be far too early and nobody will be there yet. Go and watch some TV for now. I'll call you when it's time to leave."

Tony nodded. He sat on the couch to watch TV, but he couldn't sit still, and was up again in five minutes.

"Is it time to go?" Tony asked.

"Almost. Five minutes, then we'll go."

Tony nodded, but he stayed near the door, bouncing on his heels.

"I'm going to grab a jacket. Stay there." Gibbs disappeared into the guest room that he was using, returning less than a minute later to watch Tony for a moment. The younger man reminded him so much of Abby right then, bouncing on his heels and looking like a little kid. It was adorable. Gibbs wished that he had known Tony as a child. He would like to know what his surrogate son was like- was he quiet? Outgoing? Popular or alone all the time?

"GIBBS! Stop staring and let's go!" Tony said suddenly, startling Gibbs out of his thoughts.

Gibbs smiled. "Alright, Tony. Let's go."

Tony was out the door in a flash. By the time Gibbs got downstairs, Tony was sitting in the car, keys in the ignition, car rumbling. Gibbs couldn't help the laugh that escaped as he got into the car's driver seat.


	18. Chapter 18

Gibbs had been right about getting to the restaurant early. He and Tony had to sit in the car for almost half an hour before anyone else arrived. But when they had finally gotten out of the car, Tony had been so happy, that Gibbs ended up telling himself it had been a good idea to leave a little earlier than planned.

"Hi, Abby!" Tony said excitedly.

Abby smiled as she came over and hugged her two friends. "You look so happy, Tony," she stated.

"I am." Tony grinned and pulled Abby into a bear hug.

Smiling happily, Abby took Tony's hand and led him to the restaurant doors. Once at their table, Abby dragged Tony into the seat next to hers and put her head on his shoulder. It had been too long since the team had done anything together, but it had been almost unbearable that she wasn't able to take Tony out anywhere with her.

"You okay, Abbs?" Tony asked as he gave her a one-armed hug.

"Yep. I just missed you."

"We saw each other yesterday."

"I know. I still missed you."

Tony smiled. "I'm not going anywhere, Abby. And I'll be back at work on Monday."

"I know, but it doesn't make things any easier. How are you coping so well?"

"I have amazing friends to help me." Tony smiled as Abby snuggled closer to him.

"Can I stay at your place tonight?"

Tony hesitated for a moment. He couldn't kick his boss out, but he didn't want to say no to Abby either. Looking to his boss for help, Tony was relieved to see the smile on Gibbs' face.

"Why don't you both stay with me tonight?" Gibbs asked. "Tony could use a night away from his apartment, and I know that the two of you are going to be hard to separate by the end of dinner."

"Thank you," said Tony and Abby together, just as Kate walked in with Ducky, McGee and Palmer.

"Are you two so adorable?" said Ducky happily when he sat down and saw Abby cuddled up into Tony's side.

"Hi, Ducky," said Tony.

"Hello, Anthony. I trust you are feeling well?"

"Definitely. It was nice to have Gibbs to spend the day with."

Ducky nodded, giving Tony a knowing smile. While it was obvious that Tony looked up to Gibbs more than any agent ever had, only Ducky knew the true extent of their relationship.

* * *

Dinner was a joyous affair that night. The team as a whole loved that Tony was almost completely back to his old self. Tony was happy to be out of the house and in the company of his good friends. Gibbs and Ducky both felt relieved that Tony was happy and healthy. Gibbs was beyond grateful that he still had his favourite agent in his life, and that Tony was coping so well. Everyone was happy.

"So, this is my treat," Tony said once the bill arrived.

"No," said Kate. "You are not paying tonight, Tony. We organised this dinner so that you could relax and not worry about anything. We've already worked out how we are paying, and that does not include you."

"Kate..."

"Nope. You can pay next time." Kate quickly collected money from the rest of the team and handed it to the waiter. "Thank you for a lovely evening."

"Kate," said Tony when the waiter had left. "I really wish you'd have let me help."

"Still not going to happen. This was a night for you to take a break. You've done so much for all of us, it was our turn to do something for you. And it was our way of showing you how much we care. Now, drop it."

Tony opened his mouth to argue again, but Gibbs laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, calming him instantly. "Let's go. Abby's falling asleep, and it's getting late. If you want to keep the plan we made for tomorrow, we need to get going."

"Okay," Tony said enthusiastically, forgetting all about arguing with Kate.

Gibbs smiled. "Take Abby to the car. Do you feel up to driving?"

"Yes." Tony hadn't driven since coming home from the hospital, and he had been getting bored without that luxury.

Gibbs handed over his keys. "I'll bring Abby's car to my place, and I'll be right behind you. If you need to pull over, do so. I'll stop with you."

Tony grinned. He led his 'sister' to Gibbs' car and got in. Gibbs couldn't help smiling while he watched- Tony was so sweet a lot of the time, and nobody ever saw it.

"Gibbs, he's nuts," said Kate.

"He's just being himself, Kate. It's nice to see him getting back to himself. And if the bickering between the two of you tonight is any indication, we'll have him back in no time."

Kate nodded. "I missed him, you know. I really did."

Gibbs just nodded and left Kate next to her car. He was happy to see his agents getting along again. He hoped it wouldn't take too much more time for the teasing to return, and for Tony to feel like normal again.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Gibbs pulled Abby's car into his driveway. Tony was already back and inside- Gibbs could see the lamp in his living room on. Gibbs had driven slower than normal on the way home, making sure to stay behind Tony as much as possible. There had been nothing to worry about though- Tony had driven all the way back without stopping once. He had shown Gibbs that he was doing much better than they had realised.

"Hi, boss," said Tony from the front door.

"Hey. Glad to see you drove home without problems."

"Yeah. I forgot how nice it was to be able to control where I was going."

Gibbs smiled as he closed the front door behind himself. "Where's Abby?"

"Upstairs in the guest room. I made up the couch for myself."

"Don't be silly. I have another room upstairs."

"Nobody uses that room."

"They do now. You haven't stayed over in a while, Tony. I finally let Abby use the room after you got sick, when I realised that I might lose you."

"You were worried?"

"Of course I was. You aren't just an agent, Tony. Now, get to bed, or I'll tell Ducky that we aren't going to the gym tomorrow."

Tony frowned. "That's mean."

"You aren't going anywhere if you're tired. Get to bed." Gibbs watched as Tony grinned and made his way up the stairs, before he, too, headed up to his bed.


	19. Chapter 19

Tony slept peacefully through the night. The bed in Gibbs' second spare room was soft and warm. It gave Tony a nice feeling from the moment he climbed into it. He had noticed that Gibbs had come in shortly after he had gotten in bed to check on him. Gibbs had made sure he had enough blankets to keep warm and had even given him a rare smile before going to his own room. Now that it was morning, Gibbs had come back in and pulled the curtains shut properly so that it was still dark in the room. Tony knew it was to give him the chance to sleep more, but he didn't need the extra rest. He was wide awake and ready to get going.

"Morning, Gibbs," said Tony excitedly. "What time are we going?"

Gibbs laughed. "Not until you have breakfast, Tony." Gibbs had already put a bowl of cereal on the table for him. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Yes please." Tony normally didn't eat cereal for breakfast, but when he stayed at Gibbs' house, he didn't mind the change in breakfast. "Thank you, boss."

"Anytime, Tony." Gibbs put a mug in front of him. "I'm going to get changed and call Ducky. Abby's already headed off to work, and said to tell you she loves you and will call you tonight."

Tony nodded, his mouth full of his breakfast. He kept eating while Gibbs headed up to his bedroom.

* * *

"You still sure about this, Jethro?" Ducky asked.

"I am. He's so excited, Duck. You should have seen him this morning. I wanted him to sleep longer, but he wouldn't. When he came downstairs, he was fully prepared to not have breakfast so that we could get here. I love seeing him happy."

"I know you do. You always want him to be happy." Ducky smiled as Tony walked over to them. He had been locking up Gibbs' car, which he had driven again that morning. "Hello, Anthony. How are you this morning?"

"Great. Can we go and get started now?" Tony looked longingly at the gym's front door. He had been waiting to get back into everything he had always done, and now he was getting that chance.

"As soon as I have checked you. You remember Brad's conditions?"

"Yes. Check-up before and after any exercise. And I have to take it easy, not overdo myself. I know." Tony started heading to the door. "I'll be waiting in the locker room."

Gibbs smiled as he and Ducky followed Tony inside. "He's going to be a handful today," said Gibbs lovingly.

"Well, I would expect nothing less from that young man. He's getting back to himself, which is what we all wanted. It is good to see him so happy."

* * *

Tony was already changed into his gym clothes by the time Gibbs and Ducky came in. Excitement was coursing through him and he couldn't wait to get up and go.

"About time you two came in," he said happily.

"You need to calm down a little, Tony," said Gibbs, though he was excited to see his favourite friend so happy. "Let Ducky check you first."

Tony nodded. He sat still while Ducky listened to his heart and lungs, and checked his blood pressure and pulse. Then he grinned and stood. "Can we go now?"

Ducky smiled. "Yes. You can go. We'll join you as soon as we have changed."

Tony was out the door in a flash. He headed straight to the treadmills, which happened to be his favourite exercise machine, and started one. He was already warmed up by the time Gibbs and Ducky joined him.

"I have never seen you this happy to be in a gym, Tony. When you get back to work, you will not be getting out of training ever again," said Gibbs.

"This is different," said Tony. "I haven't been able to do anything for almost three weeks."

Gibbs shrugged. "Well, you're well enough to go out, so you are well enough to do things again."

"Great!" Tony happily upped his speed and incline.

Ten minutes later, Tony had the speed and incline on his treadmill half way to its maximum. He glanced around and saw that Gibbs was sweating, even though his own treadmill was much slower than Tony's, and Ducky had given up.

"You done yet, Tony?" Gibbs asked breathlessly.

"No." Tony smiled, not even showing signs of being tired yet. "I have a lot of energy to spare, Gibbs."

"You feel like giving me some?"

Tony laughed. "Sorry, doesn't work that way. You don't have to keep going, you know?"

"You know what? It's sad that someone who has been very ill lately has more energy than a man who is fit and healthy."

Tony just grinned. He was enjoying himself, and found it quite funny that he was much stronger than Gibbs at that moment.

* * *

Ducky watched in amusement as Gibbs slowed his treadmill to a stop and Tony continued to work out. The younger man certainly seemed much happier and healthier than the previous week, and he was showing them up big time. But Tony was in a good mood, and that was all that mattered.

"Hey, Duck," said Gibbs as he joined his old friend on the bench. "What do you think?"

"About Anthony? He's doing remarkably well. He sure beat us," said Ducky in a very happy tone.

"He's got to be getting tired by now."

"Oh, trust me, he's not tired. I think he's just releasing all of the pent up energy he's got. He may not have been well, but he certainly did enough sitting around and resting to gather up energy."

"When should we stop him?"

"Give him a little longer. He'll need to stop soon enough for lunch anyway."

Gibbs nodded and sat back, relaxing and getting his breath back while he watched Tony. A smile tugged at his mouth as he watched his friend up the treadmill's speed again, still not slowing or getting tired.


	20. Chapter 20

After ten more minutes, Tony was ready for a break. He had slowed down to the lowest speed to cool down already, and was now just stopping. With a deep breath to get extra air into his burning lungs, Tony stepped off the treadmill and headed to the bench. Ducky handed him his water bottle, and a moment later, after drinking almost half the bottle, he felt better.

"Did you want to do anything else, Anthony?" Ducky asked.

Tony shook his head. "I think I'm ready for lunch. And a shower. Not necessarily in that order."

Ducky smiled. "Go and have a shower. Jethro is already in there, and I will be in after I make a phone call."

"Who are you calling?"

"Abigail. She wanted to know how things went today."

Tony nodded. He got up and jogged to the locker room, grabbed his clothes from the locker he was using, and went straight to the showers.

* * *

After his shower, Tony made his way back into the locker room to find his boss. He found Gibbs and Ducky talking quietly.

"Hey, guys," said Tony cheerily. He sat next to Gibbs. "What's going on?"

"We were discussing something private," said Gibbs, knowing he would get Tony's undivided attention.

"It isn't nice to talk about something private in a public place. What were you talking about?"

"A surprise party."

Tony's eyes lit up. "For who? Abby? Her birthday is next week."

"Maybe. Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes!"

Gibbs smiled. "Okay, I guess we can tell you then."

"Tell me, tell me."

"We were thinking about giving Abby a surprise party for her birthday. But, Ducky and I are definitely not party planners."

"I can do it! I'll plan the best party ever."

"You know that it's a lot of work to plan a surprise party, don't you?"

"Of course I do. That's why the two of you can help me with it." Tony wasn't stupid. There was no way that he would do it alone.

Gibbs faked a groan. "That wasn't what we had in mind, Tony."

"Too late. You let me plan the party, so now you can help." Tony smiled. "We should get going. A week isn't a long time. And I'm hungry."

* * *

Lunch was a quiet, yet happy affair. Ducky had gotten Abby to come and join them at a pizza parlor ten minutes from Tony's apartment building. Everyone felt happy for Tony, and Tony was super excited about planning a party for Abby's birthday. It gave him something else to think of, aside from his health issues and returning to work. And it was a good way for him to stop thinking about how long a week could be.

"Hey, Abbs?" asked Tony as they finished off the pizza they were sharing.

"Yes, Tony?"

"Do you have any plans for your birthday?"

Abby shook her head. "Why?"

"I was thinking, maybe I could take you out somewhere? We haven't really spent much time together since Kate and McGee joined the team, and I really miss hanging out with my best friend."

Abby smiled. "I would love that, Tony. Where do you want to go?"

"It's your birthday. You pick somewhere. I don't care where it is."

Abby nodded. She thought for a few minutes while they cleaned up their lunch mess. "Oh, I know! There's this really cool shop in Anacostia that we could go to."

"What kind of shop?" Gibbs asked curiously, suddenly feeling somewhat worried for Tony's safety.

"It's a pet shop. A friend of mine owns it, and she said I could go play with the animals all I want, whenever I want."

"I don't know about that. Maybe I can take you there, because Tony's immune system isn't very strong just yet."

"Oh, that's a good point. Okay. That can be my special Gibbs gift this year. Tony and I can do something else. Maybe we can go bowling?"

Tony smiled. "I like that idea, Abby. Although, we would have to go before you play with the animals, or you'd have to shower between the pet shop and coming to my apartment."

"We can go bowling first. Cause I might get stuck at the shop with all the cute animals. And when you are allowed to play with them, we can go together. You'll love the shop, I promise."

"I know I will. Animals are really fun to play with." Tony smiled. "I wouldn't mind getting a pet, actually."

"Are you allowed animals in your building?"

"Just ones that can live in a bowl or cage." Tony shrugged. "It's better than living alone in an empty apartment."

Abby nodded her agreement. "That's why I got a guinea pig. It's nice to have company, but it can look after itself when I'm at work too."

"A guinea pig, hey? Are they a lot of work?"

"Not really. When you get better, come over and see what it's like. You'll love my little pig."

Tony laughed. "I have no doubt, Abbs."


	21. Chapter 21

On Thursday morning, Tony got up and dressed quickly. He had a lot to do that day. First, he needed to get to the post office so he could mail out the invitations for Abby's birthday. Ducky had taken his the previous night with the promise that he would definitely be there the next Wednesday. He had also taken Palmer's invite to give it at work that day. Gibbs had taken his home the previous night as well, since Tony had agreed that he would be alright to be alone overnight. But, he still needed to send out the invites to McGee and Kate, as well as Abby's bowling team and family. He was going to organise the party to be in his apartment, just in case he wasn't able to go out, so he needed to go shopping for decorations too. Gibbs was coming over to take him shopping that morning, and he was excited.

"Tony? You ready to get going?" Gibbs called as he entered the apartment.

"Coming, Gibbs!" Tony called back as he finished writing his decorations list.

"What have you got in your hand?"

"I wrote down what I need to get for Abby's party. Most of it I can get today, but some of it will have to wait until Wednesday afternoon, while you have Abby distracted."

"Good idea. Where do we need to go first?"

"Post office. I need to send out the rest of the invitations."

"Do you want me to take Kate and McGee's ones to them tomorrow?"

"No, I'll just send them out too."

"Okay. There's a post box at the shopping centre. Do you need to get something at the post office?"

"Yeah, stamps."

Gibbs nodded. He followed Tony out to his car, then headed for the shopping centre, where he knew there was a post office that was rarely busy.

* * *

After Tony posted the invitations, he excitedly led Gibbs to the nearest party shop. He went straight for the section of shelving containing the black decorations.

"Tony, tell me what you need so I can help," said Gibbs.

"Okay. Can you find some serviettes and plates? I've got the bowls and cups and cutlery."

"Sure." Gibbs disappeared and returned a moment later with a pack black serviettes and two different packs of black plates. "Which plates do you want?"

"The round ones," Tony said after looking.

Gibbs placed the round plates into Tony's cart with the bowls and cups Tony had already picked up. He dropped the serviettes in as he returned the second pack of plates.

"Gibbs? Did you pass the balloons yet?"

"Yes. I'll grab them on my way back."

"Thank you." Tony dropped a pack of mixed cutlery into the cart along with a 'happy birthday' banner and some black streamers.

By the time Gibbs found Tony again, the cart was full of decorations for Abby's party. Tony was beaming as he pointed out what he had decided would be nice.

"Abby is going to love this party, Tony," said Gibbs as he added the balloons to the cart.

"I know! I can't wait to see the surprise and happiness on her face."

A few minutes later, Tony had paid for the shopping, and the two men were on their way to a grocery store for the rest of the items on Tony's list.

* * *

"Are you having a party, sir?" the lady at the cash register asked almost an hour later.

"Yes. My best friend's birthday is on Wednesday, and we're giving her a surprise party," said Tony.

"I think that your friend will be very happy. It looks like you've gone out of your way to make it a good party."

"I hope so. I really want to make sure she has fun."

"Oh, believe me, she will." The lady gave Tony a smile. "I wish I had friends like you."

Tony smiled back. "Thank you." He handed over some money as Gibbs put the shopping into the cart.

"Have a nice day."

"I will. You have a lovely day too." Tony sighed happily, definitely back into his groove, as they headed to Gibbs' car.

* * *

When they got back to Tony's apartment, Gibbs unloaded the shopping, sending Tony up to his apartment empty-handed. As much as he knew Tony was doing a lot better now, he didn't want to risk making the younger man sick again, in any way.

"Boss..."

"Drop it, Tony. I'm not giving in. You've done quite a lot today."

"I know. And I have more to do."

"Yeah? What would that be?"asked Gibbs as he carried the last of the shopping into Tony's apartment.

"Organising my present to Abby."

"What are you getting her?"

"I ordered a dozen black roses to be delivered to her apartment on Wednesday morning. Did you know those roses are really expensive?"

"They're rare, of course they cost a lot."

"Anyway, I made her a card, and I bought her some chocolates. But I also wanted to get her a bracelet or necklace. I need to find one."

"I know a good jewellery shop. Tomorrow night, after work, I'll take you down there."

"Where is it? Maybe I can go on my own today."

"It's in Silver Spring. The store is called Atlantic Gems, if you want to go looking this afternoon."

"Okay." Tony put the last of the party supplies into a drawer in his bedroom, just in case Abby decided to come over later that day. "I might go out there now. It can't be more than ten minutes away. And this way, I don't have to rush around, and you don't have to hurry to get here or anything."

"You sure you're up for it? It's been a busy morning."

"I'm sure. I may not be a hundred percent, but I'm good to go. Besides, the more I get out and about, the more I build my strength back up. And, I need my strength so I can go to work on Monday."

"You really can't wait for work, can you?"

"No. I think I've waited long enough."

Gibbs smiled softly. "I don't mind having you back on the team- truly, we've missed you, despite what Kate or McGee might tell you. I just don't want you to overdo yourself and end up back on sick leave."

"I'll be alright. I promise to be careful and take things slowly though."

"Okay. I'll believe you until you do something stupid."

Grinning, Tony said, "I never do stupid stuff, I promise."

"Sure you don't," Gibbs said sarcastically.


	22. Chapter 22

Getting out of the car at Atlantic Gems, Tony was amazed at how old the building looked. He knew that the mayor of Silver Spring was trying to get everything modernised, but it seemed such a shame to break down a beautiful building like that one. He stood staring at the building for a few minutes, until someone stopped in front of him and asked if he was okay.

"Sorry, yeah, I'm alright. I was just thinking about how much of a shame it would be to ruin such an amazing building," said Tony.

"I know. But, sir, you might want to step onto the sidewalk, before a car decides to pull in and park there."

Looking down, Tony realised he was standing in a car parking spot. Embarrassed, he quickly stepped off the road. "Thanks for that," he said.

"No problem." The young man waved as he walked off.

Now over the building, Tony quickly went inside. He gasped at all the beautiful jewellery in the display cases around the shop.

"Welcome to Atlantic Gems, sir. How may I help you today?" a woman asked as Tony stepped up to one of the cases.

"I'm looking for a birthday present for my best friend. But I also want it to be a thank you gift."

"What kind of jewellery are you interested in?"

"A necklace or bracelet. I want it to be perfect for her, and she's quite a unique individual. It has to fit her style."

"Do you want gold or silver?"

"Silver. She can't wear gold jewellery."

"Okay, follow me. I can show what we have, or you can order something in if you want it and we don't have it."

"How long does an order take?"

"Two to three business days. It would come in on Monday or Tuesday."

"No later than that?"

"No. If it comes in on Wednesday, we'll let you know. When do you need the gift?"

"Wednesday morning, preferably."

"Well, let's see if you need to order first. If you do, we can see what can be done about the delivery time."

"Thank you." Tony followed the woman to a jewellery case on the opposite side of the store.

"These are our silver necklaces. I'll go and get the bracelet display for you if you want."

"No, these are amazing. I really like this one." Tony pointed to a necklace with a skull on it."

"It's a locket. You press on the skull to open it." The woman took the locket out and handed it to Tony, showing him how the skull was really a button.

"It's lovely. I know she's going to love this. It's perfect for her. How much is it?"

"Two hundred dollars. It's one of our cheaper items."

The price seemed like it wasn't enough for everything Abby had done for him since he got sick, so he didn't mind spending two hundred dollars. "I'll take it."

"Would you like it today? Or do you want to pick it up next week?"

"Today. I don't want to risk forgetting about it, and I'll be back at work next week, so I might not be able to get in to pick it up anyway."

The woman smiled. She quickly put the locket into a jewellery box and wrapped it in gift wrap. Handing it over, she said, "your best friend is a very lucky lady."

"So everyone keeps telling me. She's been my best friend for the last four years. I got sick a couple of weeks ago, and she's been by my side ever since."

"Are you sure she's just a friend?"

"Very sure," laughed Tony as he thanked the woman and took back his change.

* * *

Back in his apartment, Tony hid Abby's present in his bedroom. Then he went to start cooking his dinner just as someone knocked on his front door.

"Hi, Kate," said Tony as he let his visitor in.

"Hey, Tony. Gibbs told us to expect invitations to Abby's party in the next day or so. I thought I'd come and help plan the party with you."

"Sorry, it's done." Tony led Kate to his kitchen so he could make dinner. "Want to stay for dinner? I'm making soup."

"Sure. What do you mean the party's all done?"

"I planned it already. Not by myself, in case that's what you were thinking. Gibbs and Ducky have been helping me."

"Really? Gibbs and Ducky?"

"It's their fault. They were talking about planning a party for Abby, I overheard and offered to do it. As long as they helped, of course."

"You're a sneak."

"It worked. Ducky helped out with the menu, Gibbs and I did the rest."

"Gibbs has been here quite a lot lately."

"I know. I'm really grateful, it's helped a lot, especially with making sure I'm eating properly and not overdoing myself."

"Are you still coming back on Monday?"

"I am, yes. I've missed enough work."

"Bored, I see?"

"Very." Tony laughed as he put soup into two bowls and handed one to Kate. "What have I missed?"

"Paperwork and more paperwork. We had a case last week that you would be glad to have missed."

"Why?"

"It was a murdered child and mother. Turned out that the grandfather hated her and the child and wanted his son back home to look after."

"Seriously? So he killed a kid for nothing?"

"Pretty much, yeah. It was horrible. Poor McGee almost burst into tears when we watched the interrogation. After everything he did to help out with his sister when they were growing up, it hit close to home."

"Is he alright now?"

"Yes. He took a day off and visited his sister, came back happy and confident."

"That's good." Tony smiled. "I miss working with the two of you."

"We miss you too, Tony."


	23. Chapter 23

Sunday had finally arrived, and Tony couldn't be more excited. He was going back to work tomorrow! All he had to do was pass a check-up with Ducky that afternoon, but he knew he was fine. It had been days since he had had a coughing fit, though he had one or two occasional coughs. Gibbs had told him that Ducky and Brad weren't concerned when he had mentioned his worry, and it had been a relief. He just needed something to do now, so the day wouldn't drag.

"Tony? You awake?"

"In the kitchen, Gibbs," said Tony with a smile. He loved it when Gibbs just came in. It was always a pleasant surprise.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Great! Bored, but great. Ducky is coming over at three-thirty to do a check-up. I let him do a blood test yesterday, so he's also bringing the results this afternoon."

"You sound confident."

"I know I'm fine. This is just a formality."

"I like the confidence. Don't forget it when you get to work tomorrow."

"I won't!" Tony grinned. "What are you doing today?"

"Nothing. I was coming to check in with you, and then I was going to go get some lunch at the diner. Want to come with me?"

"Okay. It's my shout, though. You have paid for everything lately."

"I don't mind."

"I do. I'm paying."

* * *

The diner was busy when Tony and Gibbs arrived, but they were seated quickly anyway. The staff knew what Gibbs wanted before he even sat down, but they politely waited for him to tell them what he wanted.

"Tony, what would you like?" Gibbs asked after telling the waitress that he'd have his usual- coffee, a medium-rare steak sandwich and chips.

"The cheeseburger sounds nice." Tony smiled. "And maybe a glass of orange juice. Thank you."

"Your lunch will be out shortly." The waitress smiled at them as she walked away, returning a moment later with their drinks.

"I love this place, Gibbs," said Tony while they waited for their lunch. "Why haven't I heard about it before?"

"Probably because it's my secret. I used to come here all the time, but then I joined NCIS and I was too busy to come here often. Now that I've been taking time off work to help you, I've been able to come back more often. I figured that after everything you've just been through, I would share something with you that makes me happy."

"Thank you, boss." Tony smiled as he looked towards the counter and kitchen. "They're like a big, happy family here."

"They are a family. The only person that isn't a part of the family is Megan, the lady behind the register. But they love her like she is family."

Tony nodded in understanding. It was just like their team at work- a big, dysfunctional family that loved each other unconditionally. He smiled again as the waitress returned with their plates.

"Here is your cheeseburger," she said as she put a plate in front of Tony. "Let me know if you need anything, or if there's a problem with your food." She put Gibbs' plate down. "Gibbs, your food is still making the cook sick. He said to tell you to hurry up and change your order already."

Gibbs laughed. "Oh, Lizzie, tell Joe that I'm never changing this order, simply because I love how disgusted he gets."

"Sure, I'll pass on the message." Lizzie giggled as she waved and went to serve a new customer.

"What was that all about?" Tony asked after his first bite of his burger. "Actually, I don't care. This is delicious!"

"I knew you'd like the food here." Gibbs swallowed another mouthful of his sandwich. "This diner is successful because the people working here put their heart and soul into it. The food is made with such love that it just tastes absolutely wonderful. After the lunch rush, I'll introduce you to Joe. The two of you would get along so well."

Tony nodded, his mouth full of another bite of his cheeseburger. He could tell that everyone working in the diner loved their jobs, and he could easily see how much the customers loved being there. The great food aside, the diner had a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff that were happy and willing to make whatever a customer wanted. It was nice and cozy.

* * *

After lunch, Tony felt ready to sleep. He was overfull, but had been unable to stop eating before finishing the burger. He had loved the taste, and even the aftertaste from the burger was nice.

"Tony, this is Joe," said Gibbs a second later, pulling Tony from his thoughts.

Tony looked over at the man now sitting next to Gibbs. "Hi, it's nice to meet you," said Tony with a smile. "And, by the way, you make the best cheeseburger I have ever tasted."

Joe laughed. "Thank you, Tony. It's always nice when a customer loves the food."

"I'm going to have to come back here again. I like the look of the steak sandwich Gibbs had, except with my meat a little more cooked."

"You are welcome any time. It's always nice to see Gibbs with another person. And it's nice to meet a new person too." Joe frowned. "Gibbs told us about what happened to you. Are you alright now?"

"Yes. Thankfully, I'm much better. I'm going back to work tomorrow."

"That's good. I hate seeing people hurt or sick. It's not right."

"Tell me about it. I've been off work for the last three weeks, and I am bored out of my mind."

"Getting to spend time with your boss must be nice."

"It is. Gibbs is amazing, and he's my biggest support." Tony smiled shyly. "He's like a father to me."

Joe nodded and smiled. "Gibbs is the best father figure I've ever seen."

Tony laughed at the look on Gibbs' face, but he knew Gibbs was honoured by the comments.

"Okay, time for us to get going, Tony, otherwise you'll miss your appointment with Ducky and end up having to wait for Tuesday to start work," said Gibbs.

Tony immediately brightened up. He paid for the food and was waiting at Gibbs' car before the older man could even get out of the booth.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: This chapter will include the beginning of Tony's first day of work. While majority of the next chapter or two will follow along the lines of season 2's episode 'Twilight', it is still AU and the beginning of Monday will be different to the episode to accommodate the way Gibbs and Tony's relationship has develop during this story.**

* * *

Back at his apartment, Tony couldn't contain his excitement. He knew he needed to calm down before Ducky arrived, but he really was happy that he was going back to work the next day. He hadn't been this excited since Brad had let him go home.

"Tony, I'm going to start making dinner while you calm down. Watch a movie or something," said Gibbs from the kitchen.

"I can cook, boss," said Tony.

"No. You need to calm down, and movies always help with that."

Tony had to agree. He always managed to calm down while watching his favourite movie. Quickly, he put 'It's A Wonderful Life' into his DVD player, then curled up on the couch with the remote. By the time Ducky arrive half an hour later, Tony was quiet, his gaze fixed on the screen in front of him.

"Is something wrong, Jethro?" Ducky asked when he noticed Tony.

"No, he's just trying to stay calm. He's far too excited about going to work tomorrow." Gibbs smiled when he looked at Tony. "He seems calmer now."

Ducky smiled. "He is just ready to get back into his life. Excitement is normal." He moved to the couch and sat next to Tony. "Hello, dear boy. How are you feeling this afternoon?" he asked once Tony had paused the movie.

"Good. I can't wait for tomorrow, Ducky." Tony beamed as he spoke. "I didn't think it was possible to miss work this much. Then again, I've never really had a reason to want to go to work before I came to NCIS."

"I can see that."

"Is it time for my check-up?" Tony asked, changing the subject.

"It is."

Tony grinned as he stood up and pulled Ducky up with him. "We can use my bedroom."

"Lead the way," said Ducky, laughing.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Tony was happier than he could remember ever being. Ducky had said that he was fine, as long as he took a break when he got tired, and could go to work in the morning. It was the best news Tony had ever heard, at least it was in his opinion. He danced out of his room and found Gibbs dishing out their dinner in the kitchen.

"Hey, Tony, how did it go?" Gibbs asked, though he thought he knew the answer already.

"Perfect. Ducky said I can go to work tomorrow!" Tony said excitedly.

"Good. It's about time you get your paperwork finished."

Tony smiled. He didn't care if he was stuck doing paperwork the next day, as long as he was sitting at his desk in the NCIS building.

"Sit, eat," said Gibbs, trying to calm his agent down. "Ducky, come and eat."

"Ducky's in my room still," said Tony as he dug into the tacos.

"Actually, Anthony, I am in here now." Ducky came and joined the two agents at the table. "Jethro, I am happy for Anthony to return to the field tomorrow, but he must take it easy. He feels energetic right now, but it won't last long in the field."

"I'll keep an eye on him, Duck. And I'll send him to you as soon as I think something's wrong," Gibbs said, giving Tony a pointed look that clearly said 'you will listen to me'.

* * *

Monday morning arrived, and Tony happily got himself ready for the day ahead. He showered and was getting dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants when he realised he needed to wear a suit if he was going to work. With a small laugh at himself, Tony quickly swapped his clothes for a suit and headed to his kitchen. He had already had breakfast, so he was just going to grab his coffee and get going. Just as he was stepping out of the apartment, his phone rang.

"Hi, boss," Tony said after checking the caller ID.

"Tony, are you still coming in this morning?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm just about to get into my car. Is there a problem?"

"No. I just wanted to check. I'll meet you at the security desk so I can give you your gun and badge."

"Alright. I'm about half an hour away. I'll see you soon." Tony hung up and started his car. He had missed making the thirty minute trip each morning and night, and was beyond glad that he could make it now.

* * *

When Tony walked into the NCIS building thirty five minutes later, he was greeted warmly by the security team. He had good relationships with them, and knew they had genuinely missed him when they all engulfed him in hugs.

"Hello, guys," said Tony with a bright smile. "How are you?"

"Great!" they all said in unison.

"Listen, guys, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm already running late, and the last thing I need today is for Gibbs to tell me off. Can we catch up at lunch?"

The closest guard nodded and told Tony that they would wait for him in the outdoor picnic area of the Navy Yard. Then he sent Tony on his way, waving him through the metal detector without a worry.

"Hey, DiNozzo," said Gibbs when Tony got to the elevator. "Everything okay?"

"Yes." Tony grinned. "Am I in trouble for being late?"

"Quiet! I'll slap your head if I have to. You aren't sick anymore."

Tony laughed. He took his badge and ID from his boss and tucked them into his pocket to keep them safe.

"I'll give you the gun upstairs. It's in my desk drawer." Gibbs led Tony into the elevator. "Are you sure you're ready to be back? You have another week of leave if you need it."

"I'm ready, boss. Thank you, but I'll be fine. It might take me some time to get back into it, but by the end of the day, you'll have your senior field agent back."

"Don't push yourself, alright, Tony."

Tony nodded. "I'll be careful, Gibbs, I promise."


	25. Chapter 25

Tony and Gibbs exited the elevator onto the third floor a minute later and found Kate waiting for them. She smiled and gave Tony a quick hug, but her attention was on a paper she had made notes on.

"Gibbs, we got a case. I'm not really sure what it is, something about a car that went down a hill. There was a dead marine in the car," said Kate. "Welcome back, Tony, by the way."

"Thanks, Kate. Great to be back," said Tony. "Where's McGee?"

"Getting the car. I was heading out to meet him when you came in."

"Tony, go with Kate. I'll be down in a second with your gun," said Gibbs as he went to his desk.

Tony nodded. He followed Kate back into the elevator quietly.

"You okay, Tony?" Kate asked as they passed by the security guards again. "You're a little too quiet."

"I'm alright. I was thinking about this case. How come there's hardly any information?"

"That's a good question. I intend to ask when we get to the scene."

"Do you know if it's a bloody scene?" Tony asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Kate frowned. "I don't think so. The bodies aren't mangled or anything. Are you sure you're okay? Usually, you're the first one to jump on gross scenes."

"I'm fine, maybe a little nervous, but fine. Don't tell that to Gibbs."

"Secret's safe with me." Kate smiled as she climbed into the back seat next to McGee. "Gibbs is driving," she warned once Tony was in the car.

"It's alright. He's been pretty good with his driving lately."

"Might have something to do with you being his passenger," said McGee as Gibbs climbed into the driver seat a minute later.

"Thanks, boss," said Tony when he took his gun from Gibbs.

* * *

The team reached the crime scene in a much slower than normal time. Gibbs had driven at the speed limits the entire trip, worried that he would make Tony feel sick or be sick if he drive too fast. But he was happy to see that Tony hopped out of the car and followed his teammates to the side of the road once they were at the scene, looking happy and healthy.

"DiNozzo, McGee, get statements," called Gibbs. "Kate, you're with me. Let's check out the car."

Gibbs waited while Tony and McGee got their interview started, then headed down to help Kate. His mind was still on Tony, however, and on worrying about his senior field agent.

* * *

Tony was glad that he had been told to do the interviews. He wasn't sure he was ready to look inside the car yet, despite Kate saying that there wasn't much blood in it. He felt a little unwell and was beginning to doubt that he was ready for work again. He made notes while McGee asked questions, then made a beeline for the hill with information for Gibbs.

"Boss," said Tony from the top of the hill, "state cops ran the mustang's plates. It's a rental car, out of Dulles Airport. I've got a call in to..."

Gibbs looked up when Tony stopped, and fear coursed through him as he helplessly watched Tony tumble down the grassy hillside. He waited as Tony tried to lift himself from the grass at Kate's feet, and when he couldn't, Gibbs said,

"You okay?"

"Just trying to catch my breath," said Tony, who sounded slightly winded.

"Should have taken that extra week off, DiNozzo," said Gibbs as he started back up the hill to hide his worry. "Help him up Kate."

After a couple of minutes, Tony finally got himself up and moved over to the car to help Kate collect evidence.

"Looks like a professional hit," he noted as he looked at the dead marine. "Probably took the hands to confirm the kill."

"McGee told me what you said," Kate told Tony.

"Did he now?" Tony grinned. "Come on, I was joking around. I didn't think he'd really believe me."

"Really? And why is that?"

"Anyone looking at you can tell your breasts are real."

"You told him I had breast implants?"

"No..."

"You know what Tony? I can't believe I worried about you. You're nothing but a..."

"Snake."

"Exactly."

"No. Snake. Big, big, snake. Down there."

Kate looked down and cried out in fear. "Tell me it's not poisonous."

"I think it is."

"Eww. What is it doing?"

"It's wrapping around your leg."

"Do something Tony."

"I'll try and grab it. Just don't make any sudden moves." Tony bent down and reached out slowly.

Kate pulled her gun out. "Screw it, I'm going to shoot it."

"Hey, put that gun away. You're going to blow your foot off."

Tony ignored Kate's comments as he carefully grabbed the snake and pulled it off Kate's ankle. "So, are we friends again?"

"Cool, corn snake," said McGee as he joined the two agents. "Can I hold it?"

"No, McGee, it's poisonous."

"No, actually, Kate, it isn't."

"Yes, it is, McGee," said Tony.

"What about that one you caught in Shenandoah State Park? You had it around your neck for, like, an hour."

"That near fatal illness must have clouded my memory."

Kate glared at Tony and kicked him, pushing him over onto his back. Tony laid there, trying to catch his breath again, and turned his head to the right just in time to spot a bomb beneath the car.

"Freeze McGee, don't move!" Tony said as he got to his feet. "The car's wired to explode. Looks like the detonator's wired to the trunk."

"How far did you turn the key?" Kate asked.

"Almost all the way, I think," said McGee nervously.

"Okay, don't let it snap back, alright?" Tony asked as he took the key from McGee's hands. "Okay, both of you, run!"

"We're not leaving you here," Kate tried.

"I'm a lot faster than you. I'll be right behind you. This isn't up for debate. Go!" Tony watched his friends make it half way up the hill. "Anthony, you should have taken that extra week," he said to himself as he let go of the key and ran as fast as he could up the hill.

Tony finally reached the top of the hill and heard Kate calling for him as debris from the exploding car flew over his head. He dropped down at the top of the hill, out of breath and dizzy. "Boss, remember when I said I've never felt better? I lied," Tony wheezed just before he passed out.


	26. Chapter 26

Tony felt something pressing on the side of his neck, and, though gentle, it was causing him pain. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by his team. Ducky and Gibbs were both kneeling on the ground next to him, wearing identical expressions of concern.

"Tony? Are you alright?" Gibbs asked him.

Nodding, Tony felt the pressure on his neck disappear. He flicked his eyes over to Ducky, who was fumbling in his bag for something that Tony was sure he didn't want to know about. Quickly, he pulled himself into a seated position. His vision immediately blurred and his head spun as Gibbs gently pulled him over, letting him use his chest as a leaning post.

"Anthony, what on earth happened down there?" Ducky asked as he rested fingers on Tony's neck again.

"Bomb... it was wired underneath the car," said Tony once his vision cleared and he no longer felt sick.

"How did you notice it?" Gibbs asked.

"Kate. She knocked me over."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows, but Tony wasn't fussed, so he didn't say anything.

"Alright. I'm glad you're okay, Tony." Gibbs held Tony as Ducky finished checking his head for any injuries. "Next time, call me down there when you find a bomb."

Tony grinned. "Why? I'm faster than you."

"Sure you are." Gibbs smirked at Tony, then looked at Ducky. "He need a hospital?"

"No, Jethro. I think he'll be fine. I would like to take him back to NCIS with me, though, and do a thorough check-up."

"Do it."

Tony groaned. "Boss, I'm fine..."

"Kate will go with you to make sure you listen."

Tony groaned louder. "Not Kate."

"No choice in the matter. Kate, keep him in line, but don't use physical force on him again, please." Gibbs helped Tony up and sent him off with Ducky and Palmer.

* * *

Back at NCIS, Tony was sitting uncomfortably on an autopsy table. Kate was watching him with worry while Ducky continued his earlier examination.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine," said Tony around the thermometer in his mouth. Ducky was checking his blood pressure.

"136 over 84 is not fine for you, Tony. Your blood pressure is high," said Ducky as he removed the blood pressure cuff.

"Almost getting blown up tends to do that to me. Not to mention hanging around Kate when she's in one of her moods."

"This isn't funny, DiNozzo," Kate said exasperatedly.

"No, it's not," said Tony after Ducky took out the thermometer from his mouth. "If I hadn't come to work today, you and McGee would be lying on one of those tables over there."

"At least your temperature is normal," said Ducky, ending the conversation between the two agents.

"Yeah, I'm good to go." Tony climbed off the table, his muscles sore.

"Muscle soreness?"

"Only when I move or breathe."

"Clearly, you haven't quite recovered yet, Anthony. You need a rest."

"No, what I need is to get back to work." Tony pulled his shirt sleeve down.

"Damn it, Tony," said Kate. "I should just take you home and get you into bed."

Tony grinned as he and Ducky stared at Kate.

"Okay, that didn't come out the way I intended."

"What didn't Kate?" Gibbs asked as he entered autopsy.

"Uh..."

"We were just expressing our concern for Anthony," Ducky explained.

"Yeah? How is he?"

"Stubborn, pigheaded and completely unaware of his own limitations."

"Sounds about right."

"I haven't finished with you yet," said Ducky as he followed Gibbs.

Tony finished closing his shirt buttons as he and Kate followed Gibbs too. "So, you want to buy me dinner first...?"

Kate glared at Tony and elbowed him. She continued walking as Tony sucked air in to try and minimise the pain.

"Tony?" Gibbs said.

"Yeah?"

"Go and lay down before you pass out."

"I'm not going to pass out. I might cry a little, maybe feel sorry for myself, but DiNozzo's do not pass out." He followed Gibbs out to the elevator.

* * *

Tony was relieved to finally have found somewhere cool to lay down. Abby's lab was unusually quiet, but it suited him perfectly right then. He was actually able to sneak up on his best friend.

"Well, hey there, little lady," he said in his best 'Elvis' impression.

"Tony! You're back! I missed you!" Abby exclaimed as she came over to hug him. "Oh, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine. Just a little sore, you know? From the explosion and all."

"I'm sorry. Do you want to sit down?"

"Well, I was kind of thinking about laying down next to your fridge thingy over there."

Abby nodded. "Sure. Here, you can use Bert as a pillow."

Tony gratefully accepted the toy and laid down. He looked at Abby questioningly when the toy made noise, but Abby reassured him and laid next to him. He was getting comfortable when Gibbs walked in. Tony listened as he and Abby discussed some of the case details, then got up.

"Let's go, DiNozzo," said Gibbs. "We've got problems. Someone's trying to kill us again."

Tony sighed. He followed his boss out of the lab.

* * *

"Hey, Gibbs," said Morrow when the lead agent sat next to him in MTAC. "How's the case going?"

"Someone set us up, and I almost lost DiNozzo because of it, sir," said Gibbs. There was no mistaking the anger in his voice.

"What happened?"

"Someone rigged the car to explode. While it wasn't the best thing that could have happened, Kate knocking Tony to the ground is what allowed Tony to notice the bomb and stop McGee in time. He saved the two agents by taking over and sending them back up to the road."

"Is DiNozzo okay?"

"Thankfully, yes, he is. Ducky checked him out, he's fine. Just sore is all. But that isn't the point. The point is that he shouldn't have had to save them in the first place. That bomb should have been found before we arrived at the scene."

"I'll look into it, Gibbs. Does DiNozzo need to go home?"

"Not yet. We only have a couple hours left today. He'll be leaving early tomorrow for a hospital appointment, and I'll make him take Wednesday off with Abby."

"Keep an eye on him."

"Always."


	27. Chapter 27

Tony was relieved when he finally got home that night. It was only seven pm, but he was exhausted and sore. He really just wanted to lay in bed and go to sleep. After a quick shower, Tony crawled into his bed and pulled the covers up to his neck. He quickly got comfortable and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

"If you are going to give me protection, Todd, you are not to call DiNozzo in," said Gibbs. "He needs to rest if he's going to be able to help tomorrow. Is that clear?"

Gibbs had just gotten off the phone with Morrow. He was annoyed that he was being forced into a protective detail.

"I know, Gibbs. McGee and I have worked out the shifts already, and they don't include Tony." Kate was lying through her teeth. She had included Tony in her plans, and she was going to call him back in as soon as Gibbs left the room.

"Good. If I find him here before tomorrow morning, I'll be pissed. He's not well enough to pull an all-nighter."

Kate nodded, not really listening anymore. She was busy finishing up the plans for her email to everyone involved in Gibbs' detail. She only stopped and picked up her mobile when Gibbs and McGee stepped out of the bullpen.

* * *

Tony had finally fallen asleep when his phone rang and woke him up. He checked the caller ID and saw Kate's name. "Kate? What's wrong?"

"I need you back here to help with Gibbs' protection detail."

"What detail?"

"Morrow wants to put him on a protective detail until we catch Ari."

"Fine. I'll be there in half an hour." Tony put his phone down and climbed out of his bed. He didn't care that he looked like a mess right then, he just wanted to get back to work before anything happened to his beloved boss.

* * *

Tony stepped into the bullpen and went to his desk. Dropping his backpack on the floor, he turned to Kate and asked about his role in the protective detail.

"You and McGee are going to watch Gibbs overnight tonight. He's planning on staying here and working the case, so you'll be staying here too."

Tony sighed. "I'm exhausted, Kate. It's been a long day, and I really don't feel good. Haven't you tortured me enough for one day?"

"This isn't torture, Tony. It's protection for Gibbs."

"Same difference," grumbled McGee as he came back up from Abby's lab with Gibbs in tow.

"DiNozzo? What the hell are you doing here?" Gibbs asked. "I told you to go home hours ago."

"Kate said I was needed for your protection detail, but, honestly boss, I really don't think I'll be much help. I'm tired."

"I don't want you on protection tonight. Go to Abby's lab and use the couch she has in her office. Get some sleep, right now."

Tony nodded. He went to the elevator without a second glance, afraid that Gibbs might change his mind and call him back.

* * *

"Kate, I thought I told you to leave him resting at home?" Gibbs asked quietly so Tony couldn't hear him from the elevator.

"I needed his help."

"I don't give a damn! I told you he wasn't well enough for an all-nighter, and you went behind my back to bring him back here. He's exhausted, anyone can tell that just by looking at him. I've already had him checked out once today, there's no need to make him get looked at again. I don't want you talking to him again tonight, is that understood?"

"Yes."

"It better be." Gibbs returned to his desk, sighing as he sat. Tony had looked desperate for a reprieve a moment ago, and had admitted immediately that he wanted to sleep. It wasn't normal for his fun-loving, workaholic agent, which had Gibbs worried. "McGee, follow DiNozzo and make sure he's asleep, please."

* * *

Tony gratefully climbed onto Abby's couch. It was soft and warm, especially when he pulled the blanket over himself. He was asleep instantly, dreaming of beating Brad at their basketball game that he couldn't wait to play. He didn't hear McGee open the office door and look in, nor did he hear when McGee accidentally closed the door a little harder than he meant to.

* * *

Tuesday morning came and Tony was ready to go again. He no longer felt exhausted, and he was excited about protecting Gibbs. Most people saw Gibbs as a hard-ass that hated almost everyone, but Tony was one of the rare people that got to see the real Gibbs- the one that smiled and cared about people. He loved being one of a handful of people to see that, because he knew that Gibbs only revealed his true self to people he felt comfortable around.

"It's time to catch that bastard," Tony told himself as he headed up to the bullpen.

* * *

"Feeling better now, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as Tony sat behind his desk.

"Much better. I'm ready to work, boss," Tony answered with a smile.

"Good. You're on protection while McGee sleeps and Kate works. Let's go."

"Go where, Gibbs?"

"To get coffee. I haven't had any yet."

Tony grinned. "On your six, boss."


	28. Chapter 28

After getting coffee, Gibbs allowed Tony to stop for donuts. He thought that Tony just wanted some for himself, but when the younger man returned to him, he was carrying a large bag of powdered donuts for the whole team, as well as coffee for Kate and McGee.

"You hungry, Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. But I also figured that Kate and McGee were hungry too."

"Donuts aren't breakfast."

"I got the donuts as a snack. I also brought Kate a couple of those croissants she likes, and I got McGee a toasted sub."

"What about you?"

Tony smiled sheepishly. "I sort of forgot to order myself something. I forgot I was at work, so I was planning on cooking when I got home."

Gibbs smiled. He took the donuts and coffee. "Go and get yourself something to eat."

"Sorry, boss."

"Don't apologise. It's a sign of weakness."

"Right. I'm going to get food now. Do you want anything?"

"I'm good, Tony. Go."

Tony grinned as he headed back into the cafe he had gotten the food from. When he returned a couple of minutes later, he was carrying a bagel and a sandwich.

"What did you get?" Gibbs asked curiously as they walked slowly back to the NCIS building.

"Plain bagel and a egg and bacon toastie."

"Plain bagel?"

"Brad and Ducky both have been telling me to try and eat something plain with each meal so that I don't make myself sick."

"Nice to know you're listening to your doctor."

"I wasn't at first, but then I realised that it made sense. So I tried, and now I've gotten into a habit."

"Keep that habit up. It'll be good for you."

"I'm sure that Brad is going to say the same thing this afternoon."

"He probably will. What time is your appointment?"

"Three."

"Make sure you head home afterwards. And don't forget that you have tomorrow off. Abby will be at your apartment around nine-thirty tomorrow morning so you can go bowling."

"Alright." Tony smiled as he ate the last bite of his sandwich. "I hope she enjoys tomorrow night. And her present."

"I saw the present, Tony. Abby will adore it. And she'll love tomorrow night too, because her best friend planned it for her."

"You and Ducky were a big help, you know? I couldn't have done it alone."

"You could have. You were home most of the time. Doing the shopping is a different story, but that is all finished. How are you getting the pizzas?"

"I'll order them and Ducky is going to pick them up. I want to try and have a nap before everyone comes over."

"Okay." Gibbs held open the door to their building to allow Tony access with his full hands. "I'll check with Kate and McGee before I leave tomorrow afternoon to make sure they are still coming and text you with their answers. I know everyone else is going to be there, they've already made it quite clear that they're excited."

"Who's excited about what?" asked a very bouncy Abby as they entered the bullpen. "Hi, Tony."

"Hey, Abbs. I borrowed the couch in your office last night, by the way."

"That's okay. Now, tell me what you were talking about."

"The basketball game with Brad in a couple of weeks time," lied Tony easily.

"Ooh, can I come too?"

"Of course. I need my best friend to support me."

Abby grinned, retraining herself from hugging Tony in case he was still sore. "I'll be the loudest one there, I promise."

Gibbs chuckled as he watched Abby kiss Tony's cheek and head off to her lab.

"Come on, DiNozzo, let's hand out this stuff and get back to work."

* * *

Tony sighed as he realised that it was time for him to leave work. He had been looking for leads on their case, just like everyone else, but found nothing. It was getting frustrating, and he wanted to stay and keep working.

"Tony, if you don't leave now, you'll be late," said Gibbs without looking up. "Don't make me drive you there."

"I know, boss, I'm going." Tony shut off his computer and sighed again. "See you tomorrow night."

"Bye, Tony," said McGee from behind his computer. "We'll tell Kate you said goodbye when she wakes up."

"Thanks, Probie."

Tony gathered up his belongings and walked over to the elevator.

* * *

"Come in, Tony," said Brad when Tony knocked on his office door.

Tony smiled as he entered the doctor's office, but he couldn't hide how tired he felt. He took a seat across the desk from Brad and dumped his jacket on the empty chair beside him.

"How are you?" Brad asked, trying to engage Tony in conversation.

"Tired."

"You went back to work yesterday?"

"Yes."

"All day?"

"Yes. I left just after five, at Gibbs' request, though I was ready to go home anyway."

"Did you work this morning?"

"Yeah."

"What's made you so tired then?"

"I didn't sleep properly last night."

"Any reason? Or were you just excited to be at work again?"

Tony smiled. "I was exhausted. When I finally fell asleep though, Kate called to tell me I was needed for a protective detail. It was for Gibbs, so I went, but I didn't know she was planning to make me work overnight, and Gibbs had already told her to not call me in until this morning."

"Does Gibbs know about this?"

"Of course. He told her off last night, let me sleep, and gave me this morning's protective detail shift."

"Sounds like Gibbs is still looking after you."

"He is." Tony grinned. "It's nice, but it isn't normal. Gibbs is never nice."

"You almost died, Tony. He was scared."

"I know," sighed Tony. "Anyway, what is this check-up for? Ducky came to my apartment on Sunday to check me. He said I was fine, as long as I took it easy."

"Same deal this afternoon. Also, I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from Dr Mallard. He told me you almost got blown up trying to save your team yesterday morning. What happened there?"

"Exactly that. We were at a scene when I spotted the bomb underneath the car. McGee had already started to open the trunk, so I shouted at him to stop. I'm faster than Kate and McGee, so I sent them back up to the road. I was honestly right behind them when the car exploded, but I think I might have tired myself in the process. Well, that and I was sore from Kate being mean to me. I collapsed at the top of the hill."

"Dr Mallard told me you did. He said he checked you and that your blood pressure was a little high. I'm not worried. Running and being involved in a dangerous situation will raise blood pressure. Combined with it being the first day back after three weeks of sick leave, high blood pressure is expected, to a certain extent."

Tony nodded. "I can still work though?"

"Yes. Maybe try and get an early night tonight, though?"

"I will. I'm taking Abby out tomorrow morning for her birthday, and we're having a party tomorrow night."

"So you aren't working tomorrow?"

"No."

"When you get back from your outing with Abby, get some sleep."

"That's my plan."

Brad laughed. He enjoyed Tony's company, it was always interesting. "Come on, let's get this over with. Hop up onto the bed please."


	29. Chapter 29

Tony's appointment with Brad went fairly well, leaving Tony with a renewed sense of relief and excitement. His doctor had told him that in a couple of weeks time, when they both had a day off, they could have their basketball game. Tony was looking forward to that. He had convinced Brad to have a one-on-one game with him, and Tony planned to win this time around. Tony's ringing phone pulled him back into reality, and he was happy to see that it was Abby on the phone.

"Hey, Abbs," he said.

"How was the appointment? Gibbs told me about it. Can we still hang out tomorrow?" Abby babbled worriedly.

"My appointment was fine, Abby. Brad is happy with my recovery, and he agrees with Ducky that I'm okay. And, yes, we can still hang out in the morning. I'll be waiting for you at nine-thirty."

Tony heard a breath of relief escape Abby before she spoke again. "Good. We're still going bowling?"

"Yes."

"Yay! I'll be there with bells on, Tony! I can't wait!"

"I can tell, Abbs." Tony heard his oven beep. "I have to go. My dinner is ready to come out of the oven. I'll see you tomorrow Abby."

Tony put his phone down on the kitchen bench and pulled out a tray of chicken from his oven. He glanced at the clock, smiled, and started dishing up the food. He was finishing up with the dishes when someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," he called while he dried his hands and picked the plates of food up.

* * *

Gibbs was relieved to hear from Ducky that Brad was happy with Tony's progress. He was even happier to hear that Tony would be able to play basketball with Brad in just a couple of weeks time. But what made him the happiest was that Tony was happy. After everything the young man had been through lately, Tony deserved to be happy and to be able to have fun.

"Gibbs, we got something," said McGee as he and Abby stepped into the bullpen.

"What did you get?"

"A location," said Abby, "and a date and time for the UAV to be used."

"When?"

"Friday, two pm."

"Where?"

"In Anacostia," said McGee, "that's where they'll be manning it anyway. That's where the controls are."

"That's where we need to be then." Gibbs sighed. "Let Kate know, and I'll call Tony to tell him."

"I can tell Tony tomorrow, Gibbs," said Abby. "He's in a good mood, we shouldn't ruin it for him."

Gibbs smiled. "Good point. Okay, tell him tomorrow, but after you two finish bowling. He really is looking forward to giving you a good time."

"I know. I just got off the phone with him. I think he's having a dinner guest."

"A girl, you mean?" asked Kate as she came up to Gibbs' desk.

"Maybe," said Abby. "He was alone when I called, but he was cooking something for himself and another person. I think it's nice. He needs some friends outside work."

"You aren't worried you'll lose your best friend?" McGee asked.

"Not at all. Tony and I will always be best friends. Always, Timmy." Abby grinned and spun herself around. "Can I go home now Gibbs?"

"Yes, Abbs. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." Gibbs smiled at Abby. "Still going to your friend's shop?"

"Of course, boss-man." Abby hugged Kate and McGee, kissed Gibbs' cheek, and skipped off to gather her belongings from her office.

"Kate, we've got a date and time. Friday at two, all of us will be at this address," said McGee, handing over a piece of paper.

"Good. All of us will wear vests, not just Gibbs." Kate looked around for a moment. "What about Tony? Will he come with us?"

"Yes," said Gibbs. "But he'll be with me, wherever I go. I still want to watch him."

"I'll put him on your detail for that then."

"Hell no! Friday, nobody is protecting me Kate. Especially not Tony. I want him with me, but he is not going to stand in front of me."

"Fine. He can be on duty tonight..."

"Damn it, Kate! When are you going to listen? Tony is not in any condition to work at night. If you even try to put him on duty, I'll have you and McGee swapped."

"You can't do that..."

"Yeah, I can do that, and I will, if Tony's health is put in danger." Gibbs sighed. "Go home, both of you. Get some rest, tomorrow is going to be a long day."

* * *

Tony smiled happily as his guest entered the kitchen. He had been looking forward to this visit all day. He had missed this woman more than he ever could have imagined missing someone he had only known for a couple of weeks.

"Hi, Tony," said his visitor, "how are you today?"

"Great, especially with you here," Tony replied. "Dinner just finished cooking. I hope you're hungry."

"I am. Work was pretty exhausting today."

"Everything okay?" Tony asked as he and his guest sat at the table to eat.

"Yes. It was busy, that's all. Not that you should be worrying about anything except your own health right now."

Tony grinned. "Can't help it, I worry about everyone."

Tony's guest laughed happily. "Have you gone back to work yet?"

"Yesterday was my first day back. It was a mostly good day."

"Mostly?"

"It was tiring. I don't have as much energy as I thought I did."

"Pretty normal, considering the circumstances. Was today any better?"

"Much better. It was a little boring, but boring means less crime to deal with. The most excitement I had was walking with Gibbs to a cafe near the Navy Yard and having to dodge a car to stop Gibbs from walking into some mess on the concrete."

"How dangerous," his guest said sarcastically before giggling.

Tony smiled happily. He really was enjoying this company, and he didn't want the night to end.

* * *

 **So? Who do you think Tony's guest is? Leave a comment with your guesses!**


	30. Chapter 30

Tony opened the door for Abby at nine am on Wednesday morning. He had overslept, having spent more than a couple of hours with his guest the previous night, and was still clearly half-asleep.

"Morning, Tony," said Abby cheerily.

"Hi, Abbs." Tony yawned, then hugged his friend. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Tony! Listen, we don't have to go bowling if you aren't up for it. We can watch a movie together instead."

"No. We are going bowling. I just need a shower first. Make yourself comfortable. Have you had breakfast?"

"No. I thought that maybe we could stop on the way to the bowling alley and eat."

"Alright. My treat, though."

Abby nodded. She turned on the TV and sat down to wait for Tony.

* * *

Half an hour later, Tony was ready to go. He opened a drawer in his bedroom and pulled out Abby's present before stepping into his living room.

"Abby? Ready to go?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Abby turned the TV off and got up from the couch.

"First, this is for you. Happy birthday, Abbs." Tony handed over the wrapped box.

Abby gasped after she opened her present. "Tony! It's amazing!" She took out the locket and put it on. "I love it so much. Thank you!"

Tony smiled as he was engulfed in an 'Abby' hug. "You're welcome, Abbs. I'm glad you love it."

"This must have been expensive."

"It's not enough for everything you've done the last few weeks. This is a birthday gift and a thank-you gift."

Abby smiled. "I'll wear it forever. I can't wait to show it off to everyone." Abby hugged Tony again. "You are the best, Tony!"

"I love you too, Abbs." Tony took her arm and led her to his car. "Where do you want to have breakfast?"

"There's a cozy little cafe a block from where we're going bowling. It's nice, the staff are friendly."

"Alright. Give me the directions then."

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, Tony pulled into the parking lot of the cafe Abby liked. He got out of the car and held Abby's door open for her, then led her into the cafe. A young man smiled and greeted them.

"Welcome," he said as he led them to a booth. "Here are your menus, and we have a special breakfast this morning- bacon, eggs, sausages, and toast for just ten dollars."

Tony smiled. "I'll have the special, please. And a small latte."

"Of course." He turned to Abby. "Ma'am, would you like a minute to look at the menu?"

"No thank you. I know what I want already. Can I have the grape jam crumpets please?"

"You may. Would you like a drink?"

"Caf-pow please."

"No problem. Your order will be out shortly." The young man took their menus and disappeared.

"They have caf-pow here, Abbs?" Tony asked.

"Yes. Hence the reason I love this place." Abby smiled. "So, who did you have over last night?"

"Sorry?"

"When we were talking on the phone yesterday, you said you had food in the oven. You never cook big meals for just yourself, so who was at your apartment?"

Tony smiled. "It was Emma."

"The nurse?"

"Yes. We decided that we'd try being friends now that I'm not a patient anymore."

"How did it go?" Abby asked excitedly.

"Good, I think. We had fun. She didn't leave until about ten-thirty, and I think she only left because she noticed how tired I was." Tony sighed happily. "She's a great friend, Abby. It helps that she knows what I've been through the last few weeks, and she's very helpful when she thinks that I'm getting too tired to keep going."

"Emma is sweet. I like her," said Abby, as if giving her permission for them to be friends. "When are you seeing her next?"

"I'm not sure yet. It's hard, with Emma being a nurse and all. We'll figure it out, though."

"I hope you guys stay friends. You really need something to make you happy, and I know how happy Emma makes you."

Tony grinned. He kept his mouth shut while the waiter delivered their food and drinks, but then he laughed. "You know, it's funny. Emma said the same thing after meeting you."

Abby nodded. "I know. She said it to me as well. I think that's why I like her so much- she cares a lot about you, more than a nurse cares for a patient." She smiled. "But if she hurts you, I'll hurt her."

Tony nodded with a smile. He put some food in his mouth, savouring the taste before Abby could draw him into conversation again.

* * *

The bowling alley was still somewhat empty, what with it being early in the morning on a weekday. Abby led Tony through the small crowd at one of the lanes, stopping at the desk.

"Hi, Abby," said one of the workers. "You're here early."

"Yeah. Tony and I are going to bowl for a while. Can we get two pairs of shoes, please?" Abby asked.

"Sure." The woman handed over a pair of shoes to Abby. "What shoe size are you, sir?"

Tony gave the woman his size and took the shoes she handed to him. "Thank you," he said sweetly.

"Not a problem. Have a good time, guys."

Abby thanked the woman and led Tony to an empty lane. She quickly put her shoes on and put in their names for the scoreboard.

"You go first, Tony," said Abby.

"You sure?"

"Very." Abby handed him a bowling ball, watching carefully to make sure that it wasn't too heavy for him.

Tony grinned as he rolled the ball down the lane and hit the pins dead center. "I got a strike, Abby," he said excitedly. "I've never had a strike before."

"Great! You're a natural, Tony."

* * *

 **Well done to Calgal48 for guessing who Tony's visitor was!**

 **For those that guessed it to be Sasha, don't worry, she'll be making an appearance really soon.**


	31. Chapter 31

Tony thoroughly enjoyed his morning with Abby. Breakfast had been amazing, something that he certainly wanted to go back to at some point, and the bowling had been fun. He hadn't really enjoyed going bowling in the past since he wasn't very good at it, but with Abby's enthusiasm and encouragement to keep trying, he had liked the game that day. He had promised Abby that he would go bowling again with her sometime soon, and that he would be there when she and the nuns had their bowling tournament.

"Thanks for my present, Tony," said Abby once again as she was getting ready to leave Tony's apartment with Gibbs. "Are you coming to work tomorrow?"

"Of course I am, Abby," said Tony with a smile. He hugged her. "I hope you have more fun this afternoon, and I promise that I'll come with you to that pet shop next time."

"When you're better, Tony, we'll go. I refuse to let you get sick again." Abby kissed his cheek. "Make sure you get some sleep, Tony. I can see that you're exhausted."

Tony laughed. "As soon as you guys are gone, I'm going to have a nap. I have another visitor this afternoon."

"Is it Emma again?"

"No. Someone else."

"It's a date."

"Maybe." Tony blushed. "Isn't it time for you to go and play with baby animals?"

Giggling, Abby let Gibbs lead her out the door. Tony heard her giggling down the hallway as he locked up behind them and headed into his bedroom for some rest.

* * *

Gibbs waited until Abby stopped laughing, then asked, "Who's Emma?"

"You remember that nurse that was looking after Tony in hospital?"

"Of course. She was always helping him be happy."

"That's Emma. She and Tony wanted to try being friends."

"Did it go well?"

"Tony said he thinks it did. They're looking at trying again sometime soon."

"That's good. Tony could use friends outside work." Gibbs smiled for a moment. "How was your morning?"

"So amazingly fun! Tony took me out for breakfast as well as bowling. And he gave me this." Abby pointed to the locket she was still wearing. "It's so pretty, Gibbs!"

"Did he show you how to open it?"

"Yes. It's cool, you know? You can't tell it's a locket just be looking at it. It's perfect for hiding things in it." Abby sighed happily. "It's the most amazing gift ever. Tony knows exactly what to get me all the time."

Gibbs smiled. "He certainly does."

* * *

Tony woke up almost two hours later to someone knocking on his apartment door. He glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table and saw that it was almost three pm. Realising that the person knocking must have been his visitor, he got up and stumbled out to answer it, still half asleep.

"Good afternoon, Tony," said Sasha as she stepped into his apartment. "Did you just get up?"

Tony nodded. "I overslept," he said softly.

"That's alright. I happen to think you look adorable when you're still sleepy."

Tony blushed and grinned. "How are you?" he asked, changing the subject.

Sasha took Tony's hand and led him to the couch. "I'm good. It's nice to have a day off. How are you? You're still getting better, aren't you?"

"I'm okay. Brad let me go back to work this week."

"That's wonderful!"

"Yeah. It's tiring, though."

"Which is normal. You'll get back into it soon enough."

"I know. Speaking of work, have you been given any other outpatients to look after?"

"I had one last week, just for a couple of days. I've been back in the hospital again this week."

"That sucks. I know you were hoping that you would get more patients after me."

"It's not too bad, being in a hospital. Besides, I think I had a little too much fun looking after you and watching movies all day."

"You can never have too much fun, Sasha." Tony smiled a little. "Want to watch a movie for a little while?"

"Of course I do. What time is Abby's party?"

"About six. I'll order the pizzas around five pm, and Ducky is picking them up for me on the way over."

"Are you getting them from the same shop as last time?"

"Yes."

"What else are you having?"

"I'm making a salad, or, at least, I'm going to attempt to make one. I've never been one for healthy foods."

Sasha giggled. "I'll make it for you and put it in the fridge. All you'll need to do is take the covering off and toss it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm always happy to help."

"Thank you." Tony gave Sasha a bright smile. "I'm going to put some garlic bread and some finger foods into the oven around five-thirty as well, so they'll be ready by the time everyone arrives."

"It sounds like a good party to me. Abby's going to love it."

"I hope so. This is her day, after all."

"Trust me, she'll love it. You know how I know?"

"How?"

"Because if I was Abby, I would be loving it. You are a fun person to be around, Tony. And you are amazing at planning parties and get-togethers."

"Maybe I should plan a party for you, then? When's your birthday?"

Sasha laughed. "Not telling you." She kissed him. "You'll just have to guess."

Tony relaxed as Sasha kissed him again. He loved this woman, and he was happy to know that she also loved him. He had missed her once she left after his first week at home, so when she had called to ask him out on a date, he had immediately said that he would love to go out with her. This was technically their first date, but because Tony had packed his day with things to do, they had agreed on staying in and watching a movie together. It was going to be a fun afternoon.


	32. Chapter 32

"Do you have to leave?" Tony asked Sasha as she gathered her belongings and kissed him.

"Yes. You have a party to get ready for. And I have to get going anyway. I've got work tomorrow." Sasha smiled. "I'll come over on Saturday, if you want?"

Tony grinned. "I definitely want you over."

Sasha laughed. She hugged Tony and kissed him goodbye, then stepped out of the apartment before he could stop her. Tony waved until she entered the elevator, then returned to his apartment to get it ready for Abby's party. He knew from Gibbs that Abby was now at her own apartment, getting showered and changed for a supposed dinner with McGee, and that they would be 'stopping over' at Tony's apartment to get Abby's car in an hour's time. That gave Tony an hour to get his apartment decorated, his part of the food ready and order the pizzas.

"Porky's Pizza Restaurant. What would you like to order?" asked Tony's friend and the owner, Jeremy.

"Hi, Jeremy, it's Tony."

"How are you man? We haven't hung out yet."

"I know. I just went back to work on Monday, and I stupidly offered to plan my best friend's birthday party. I need to order a few large pizzas."

"Of course. What would you like?"

"I need my favourite, of course."

"One cheese pizza, with sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese. What else?"

"A margherita with extra cheese; a hot and spicy; two meatlovers; two barbecue chicken pizzas; and one margherita without any extras."

"Okay. Are you picking them up or do you want them dropped off?"

"It'll be a pick-up, but my friend will be getting them for me."

"Alright. I've put the order under 'Tony'. It'll be fifty-nine dollars."

"That's cheaper than I thought."

"I'm giving you a discount, cause you're my most loyal customer."

"Thanks Jeremy. And, listen, as for hanging out, I still want to, but I'm flat out right now. I don't know if I'm going to have much of a weekend, so can we hang out in a week's time?"

"Sure. Call me when you know a date for sure. And take it easy, you don't want to go back to the hospital."

"Believe me, I don't even have to try to relax. Gibbs is good at making sure I do. I have to go, I need to get the decorations up, and I have a couple of things to put in the oven."

"Have a good night, Tony. I'll add a soda to your order for free, okay?"

"You don't need to do that..."

"Too bad. It's already done."

Tony laughed. He thanked his friend and hung up the phone. After a quick stop in the kitchen to put the finger foods and garlic bread into the oven, Tony began putting up the decorations that he and Gibbs had brought a few days before.

* * *

At five forty pm, Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He was finished with the decorations, finally, and he had just gotten a text from Ducky that he and Palmer were five minutes away. Tony quickly rushed into his room to get changed into clothes more appropriate for a party, then went back to the kitchen to take the food out of the oven. He was sitting on the couch, slightly out of breath, when there was a knock on his door.

"Hey, Ducky. Hi Palmer," said Tony after he opened the door. "Come on in."

"Where can I put these pizzas, Tony?" Palmer asked.

"On the kitchen bench." Tony pointed to his kitchen. "Just through there."

Palmer disappeared, and Ducky followed him, returning a minute later, looking concerned.

"Anthony, are you alright? You're a little pale." Ducky guided him to the couch.

"I'm fine, Ducky. I just finished decorating. Remind me never to leave decorating to the last minute again."

"Oh, Anthony. You really need to pace yourself better. Why did you leave it so late?"

"Err... I had a visitor..."

"A visitor? Who would that be?"

"Nobody, Duck."

"You have a girlfriend."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Not only do you have a girlfriend, but you really love her. I know because you aren't telling me all about her like you usually would."

"That's not true..." Tony tried to deny it.

"It most certainly is." Ducky smiled. "But I promise not to say anything to anyone. If you want to tell them, that is your choice."

"Thank you, Ducky." Tony smiled. "She's amazing. I want everyone to meet her, but it's going to have to wait until after we catch Ari. He takes up too much of our time, and Gibbs said that we have a lead on Friday afternoon to check out, so we're going to be pretty busy over the next two days."

"No more busier than usual, Tony," said Gibbs as he entered the apartment behind McGee.

"Where's Abby?" Tony asked, completely at ease with his boss entering the apartment without Tony's knowledge.

"Outside the building with Kate. They'll be up in a minute, though Abby thinks that she's getting her keys off of you, and that McGee is using your bathroom before they go to dinner."

"How was your afternoon?"

"It was good. When you're completely better, you'll be going to this pet store, Tony. It's filled floor to ceiling with the cutest animals."

"Are you going soft, boss?" Tony teased.

"Not at all. But they are cute, I'll say that."

"What was cute, Gibbs?" asked Abby as she and Kate stepped into the apartment. "WOW! Is this for me?" she asked in surprise.

"Happy birthday, Abby," said Tony.

Everyone wished a happy birthday, but Abby threw herself into Tony's arms and sobbed.

"Abbs? Are you okay?" Tony asked as he sat on the couch with his friend.

"Thank you, Tony! Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before. Thank you so much!"

"It was a team effort," Tony said, trying to get out of Abby's crushing hug.

"Don't be silly, Tony," said Kate. "You planned everything. We just helped keep the secret."

Tony glared at Kate as Abby squeezed him tighter. "Abby, I can't breathe," he said.

"Sorry." Abby loosened her grip but stayed stuck to Tony. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Abbs." Tony kissed her cheek. "It was the least we could do for you."

"It's amazing. I love it."

"You'll love it even more in just a moment." Tony smiled as Abby let go and looked at him curiously. "Look who's here."

Abby looked at the door and gasped. Joy lit up her face and she scrambled off the couch to hug the two new arrivals.


	33. Chapter 33

**I'm aware that Abby's parents are deaf, but for the purpose of this story, they are wearing hearing aids to help them communicate better with people who do not know sign language.**

* * *

Tony grinned as he watched Abby pull the two new arrivals into a crushing hug. They didn't seem to mind the lack of oxygen, however, and returned the hug happily.

"Tony! You are so sneaky!" said Abby when she finally let go. "Getting my parents to come? Thank you so much!"

"It's your birthday, Abbs. Your parents should be here for your special day," Tony said.

"Mum, dad, this is Tony," Abby said slowly as she used sign language. "He is my best friend."

"That's wonderful, honey," said Abby's mother, Terri. "Thank you for inviting us, Tony."

"You are welcome. Come and have a seat, dinner is ready."

Tony led the group into his kitchen, where he had borrowed some chairs from Gibbs to make sure he had enough room. He handed around plates and glasses, then put the food out on the bench for everyone to choose what they wanted to eat. He smiled happily as everyone gathered their food and drinks, then found a seat and chatted over their food.

"Tony?"

Looking up as he grabbed his own food, Tony smiled again. "Yeah, Abbs?"

"Thank you so much. Today has been the best birthday ever. You know, I was happy with just going out to bowling this morning with you. You didn't have to take me to breakfast, get me a present, or throw a party as well."

"It's no problem, Abby. I wanted you to have a good day."

"I certainly am having a good day. Everything about it has been good. And I really love that you invited my mum and dad- I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks."

"I tried to get a hold of your brothers too, but one is out of the country at the moment and the other is sick."

"It's alright. Both of them called to say happy birthday already anyway."

Tony smiled. "I'm really glad you enjoyed the day, Abby. I wasn't sure if you had had fun, honestly."

"Of course I did. I spent half the day with my best friend. What's better than that?" Abby grinned. "Now, hurry up and get your food. I want to introduce you to my parents."

Tony groaned. "Abby," he warned.

"They already love you. Come on!"

Tony reluctantly followed Abby to the table, noticing that she had made room next to her for him.

* * *

After dinner, the group moved into Tony's living room. The music was on in the background, and everyone was chatting.

"Tony, come and sit with us," said Terri.

"That spot is for Abby," Tony tried to tell them.

"Don't be ridiculous. We know you aren't dating our daughter, but you are her best friend. Abby never had a best friend when she was growing up, so it's nice to see that she has someone looking out for her now."

Tony smiled and relaxed a little. "Of course I am. Abby's my best friend, but she's like a little sister to me. I'll protect her as much as I can."

"We are very grateful for that, Tony," said Abby's father, Tyler. "You must come over sometime soon. We'd love to have you over."

"Thank you, but it won't be for a while."

"We know that you've been unwell. Abby came home a couple of weekends ago, crying, because she was scared that she would lose you. I must say, you do look a lot better than how Abby had described you."

Tony laughed. "Abby probably exaggerated the truth with that- but I've been getting better over the last couple of weeks, and now that I'm back at work, I feel a lot better."

"Good. Abby has been worrying that you were pushing yourself too much at work. I don't think that's true. I can see that you are doing well."

Tony nodded, but he was confused. Clearly, he wasn't hiding it well, because Terri laughed and said,

"Don't worry about him, Tony. Tyler was a doctor up until he retired last year. He still tends to assess people without them knowing."

"It's alright. But, yes, I am doing a lot better now, and I'm not pushing myself. I won't put myself back in the hospital."

"You better not, mister," said Abby as she joined them. "I don't want to visit you in the hospital again."

"Don't worry, Abbs. I'm not going to the hospital without a good reason for it. I hate hospitals, you know that." Tony opened his arms and let Abby walk into them for a hug. "I promise, I'm fine, Abby."

* * *

Once everyone had left his apartment that night, Tony collapsed into his bed. He hadn't realised that he was tired until he and Gibbs had been cleaning up. He was grateful to Gibbs, actually- his boss was still in the kitchen, washing the last of the dishes, so that Tony could get some sleep.

"Tony? You okay in there?" Gibbs called from outside the bedroom door.

"I'm alright. I'm just going to go to bed. Are you staying over?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. I'll use the couch for the night. We can go to work together in the morning."

"Thanks boss." Tony smiled as he snuggled up under the blanket and closed his eyes.


	34. Chapter 34

**A.N: Sorry for killing off Kate, but I am staying true to parts of the show in this story. There will be some more Gibbs/Tony in this chapter, which will be the final chapter before the epilogue. It's longer than previous chapters, but I didn't want to turn this into two small chapters.**

* * *

Friday afternoon was bright and sunny, making it hard for the team to see where the terrorist controlling the UAV was. But that didn't stop them from quietly traversing the rooftop while McGee attempted to jam the UAV from the ground. It didn't take long for them to finally find the guy once he had shot at McGee, though, and they quickly attempted to deal with him.

Suddenly, a shot rang out, and the terrorist dropped to the ground, dead. Gibbs looked around for the shooter...

"Shooter!" Kate shouted, jumping in front of Gibbs.

Gibbs looked down at Kate, laying in front of him with her eyes closed. Tony was already bent next to her, his caring nature taking over.

"Kate! You okay?" Tony asked worriedly.

"I just got shot at point blank range, DiNozzo. What do you think?" Kate said in annoyance.

"You're not going to be going to pilates tomorrow?" There was some teasing in his tone.

Gibbs helped Kate up. "Protection detail's over, Kate."

"You did good," said Tony kindly.

"For once, DiNozzo's right."

Kate grinned. "I thought I'd die before I ever heard..."

Tony quickly shut his eyes as the back of Kate's head exploded open right in front of him. Fear ran through him as he heard Gibbs say, "Ari."

* * *

Tony shook as Gibbs guided him back to the NCIS truck. They had been forced to leave Kate's body on the roof, having no way of getting her down until Ducky arrived with his gurney, and Tony had begged Gibbs to let him stay with her. He had almost cried when he realised that Kate was actually dead.

"Tony, sit down," said Gibbs gently as he grabbed a towel from the back of the truck.

"Is Tony hurt?" McGee asked as he ran over.

"It's Kate's blood, Tim."

"Okay... I'm glad Tony isn't hurt."

"Me too. Can you go and guide Ducky in here, please?"

McGee nodded. He walked away, and Tony could swear that tears were running down the probie's face.

"Tony, close your eyes for me," Gibbs said softly.

Tony shut his eyes, feeling the soft material of the towel on his skin. He knew Gibbs was cleaning the blood off for him, but it didn't make a difference. He could still feel the blood and could see the back of Kate's head, and it made him sick. Tony managed to wait until Gibbs stopped cleaning his face before jumping up and running to the nearest dumpster. He emptied his stomach and heaved a few times while Gibbs rubbed his back soothingly, then collapsed into his boss' arms and cried.

"I know, Tony, I know," whispered Gibbs as he continued to rub Tony's back comfortingly.

"Not Kate," Tony moaned. "Why Kate?"

"Because Ari is a jerk, Tony."

"She took a bullet for you, and I saw her get up to try protecting you again. I wanted to stop her. Why didn't I stop her?"

"She wasn't going to listen to you, Tony. You know that. That's why you didn't try. This isn't your fault. The only person to blame is Ari."

Tony nodded against Gibbs' chest. "I want to kill him, Gibbs."

"Me too, Tony, me too."

"Jethro, is everything okay with Anthony?" Ducky asked quietly a minute later.

"He's upset, which is expected."

"Timothy mentioned that he had blood on his face. Is he hurt?"

"It was Kate's blood, not Tony's. He was right behind her."

"And, I'm guessing that is why he's so upset right now?"

Gibbs just nodded. "He threw up as well. I'm sure it's just because of all of this, but can you make sure?"

"Of course." Ducky gently pulled Tony up and guided him back to the NCIS truck. "Anthony, are you feeling unwell?"

Tony shook his head, silent tears still streaming down his face. "Where did Gibbs go?"

"He's just talking with Timothy for now." Ducky reached out and checked Tony's head for any injuries that may have been missed by Gibbs. "Do you want him?"

"Yes."

"Very well." Ducky stepped back and called Gibbs over. "Anthony is in shock. Did he try to stay with Caitlyn?"

"Yeah. I had to pretty much drag him away. I feel bad for that, but I didn't want him to see her like that anymore than he had to."

"You did the right thing. Shock can play funny games with people- Anthony probably wouldn't have wanted to see her if he hadn't been there."

"What should I do? I don't want him home alone."

"Well, alone is a far cry from the truth. Our dear boy has a girlfriend that he does not wish to tell anyone about just yet. Oh, that reminds me, you didn't any of this from me. I do believe that a quick phone call will have her looking after Anthony in no time."

"Who is she?"

"That, I am not sure of. It is someone we know, I believe..."

"It's Sasha. I knew Tony had feelings for her," said Gibbs happily. "I have her number, I'll call her."

"Very well. I shall finish with Anthony and then leave him in your capable hands." Ducky returned to Tony and smiled. "Jethro is just making a phone call, then he will be taking both you and Timothy home for the night."

"Home? I don't want to go home. I want to kill Ari."

"You cannot do that while you are in shock, my dear boy. Go home and spend some time with your lady friend."

"Sasha? Okay, that sounds like a good idea," said Tony distractedly as he watched Palmer wheel the gurney into the building. "I want Kate."

"You can see Caitlyn tomorrow. She will still be with us this weekend."

"You'll be very careful with her, won't you?" Tony asked, his eyes wide with pain and fear.

"Yes, I shall be the most careful that I have ever been."

Tony nodded in relief. "You'll let me see Kate tomorrow?"

"I will."

"Okay, I guess I can go home then..."

"That's a great idea, Tony," said Gibbs as he joined them. "Come on, time to get out of here. Someone special is waiting for you at your apartment."

"Who?"

"I believe she's your girlfriend."

"Ducky told you."

"Nope. It wasn't hard to figure out." Gibbs smiled. "Come on, Sasha is waiting."

Tony got up and let Gibbs guide him to the car McGee and Tony had ridden in earlier that day. He climbed into the passenger seat.

"Where's McGee? Ducky said you were taking him home too."

"He's going to take the truck back and then go home in his car. You can pick your car up tomorrow, Tony."

Tony nodded. He closed his eyes as tears started running down his face again.

"Hey, Tony, it's alright," said Gibbs softly.

"I miss Kate."

"So do I, but crying is not what she would have wanted you to be doing."

"We have to make Ari pay, Gibbs."

"He'll definitely pay, don't you worry about that." Gibbs cursed under his breath, then looked at Tony. He cursed again when he saw that Tony was still crying.

* * *

Tony was glad that Gibbs had called Sasha. She was already at his apartment when he arrived, and had made hot chocolate and pizza. A movie was paused on the TV screen, and Tony was relieved to see that it was a sad movie. Sasha really had been listening when he told her how he moved past sad occasions.

"Hey, Tony," said Sasha. "I'm sorry about Kate."

Tony didn't speak. He let Sasha guide him into his apartment, then cuddled up with her on the couch. For a while, he just stared at the TV screen, not really watching the movie that was playing. He could feel Sasha's hand rubbing circles on his back, and it was helping him to finally calm down.

"She shouldn't be dead," he said quietly.

"Maybe not, but she is now, and you can't change that, Tony. It's okay to miss her."

"I know that... Will you come with me to work tomorrow? Just while I see her?"

"Of course. And I'll come to the funeral as well."

"Thank you, Sasha." Tony closed his eyes and rested against Sasha's chest.


	35. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

 **Two Weeks Later- Sunday**

Sunday morning was a lovely day. The sun was shining brightly and the air was warm. Fall was definitely on the way. Tony was happy that today was the day he finally got to play basketball against Brad. He just knew that he would win this time. Luck was on his side. Or maybe it was Sasha and Emma cheering for him that gave him that feeling?

"Ready to go, Tony?" Gibbs called from the living room.

"Coming, Gibbs." Tony grinned as he stepped out of the bathroom. "I'm so glad that you're going to watch."

"Of course I am. Did you really think I would miss seeing your athletic nature in action?"

Tony laughed. "Abby forced you, didn't she?"

"A little. I was going to come anyway."

"I know. She had to force McGee to come and watch as well. But, I have the best supportive squad. Emma and Sasha are coming, and then there's you, Abby and McGee, and Ducky too."'

"Who's supporting Brad?"

"A few of his colleagues, I think."

Gibbs smiled. "You're prepared to win, aren't you?"

"Of course. It's time for some payback. Without broken limbs, that is. I've had enough of hospitals for a lifetime."

"That sounds good to me." Gibbs laughed and led Tony out of the apartment.

* * *

The community basketball court was empty except for Brad and a couple of guys. They were chatting about something, but Brad quickly stopped and beamed happily when he saw Tony and Gibbs walking up.

"Hey, guys!" he said happily.

"Hi, Brad." Tony grinned. "Ready for me to beat you?"

"You aren't going to beat me."

"Yeah, I am. Sorry about that." Tony laughed. "Honestly, I want to win, but if I don't, I promise to hold it against you."

"You are so cheeky sometimes." Brad shook his head. "It's good to see that you're a lot better, though. I'm happy that you've found some peace as well."

"You were a big help in that. And Sasha too."

"Is Sasha coming today?"

"Yes." Tony smiled. "She's a part of my cheer squad."

Shaking his head again, Brad sighed. "You really are in love with her, aren't you?"

"Of course I am." Tony's expression turned dreamy. "She's so amazing. And I have you to thank for that. You sent her into my life."

"Not for pleasure, I didn't."

"Too bad." Tony smiled again as the rest of his friends arrived. "Basketball time!"

"Remember to not overdo yourself, alright Tony?"

"I know. If I need anything, you're right here." Again, Tony had to grin.

"Smarty pants." Brad threw the basketball to him. "You're turn. First to ten baskets wins."

"Deal."

* * *

An hour later, Tony and Brad dropped onto the bench at the side of the court. Both were exhausted, but happy. And Tony was excited- he had beat Brad by two baskets.

"Good job, guys," said Gibbs as he handed over some water bottles.

"I won, Gibbs!" said Tony breathlessly before drinking almost half the water bottle.

"I saw. It was a close game. I think you both did really well."

"Trust me, Tony wasn't even trying," said Brad. "I've never been good at basketball. I don't know why I ever agreed to it. I should have suggested that we play football."

"We can play that next time, Brad," said Tony happily. "I love football, and that is where I really want to beat you."

"Of course it is."

"I need payback for that college game." Tony wore a serious expression, but quickly burst into laughter.

"Never going to happen, pal," said Brad, his tone suggesting that he thought it would happen. "But, you're welcome to try. I have a Saturday off in two weeks if you're interested."

"Of course I am! I need to play more sports again anyway." Tony sighed in content when Sasha joined them. "And I need to also take my lovely lady here out for dinner sometime soon."

"Oh, Tony," said Sasha. "I think that would be lovely, but you don't have too."

"Yeah, I do. You've been there for me so much lately, it's the least I can do." Tony smiled. "Besides, I love you, and I want a proper relationship where I can treat you like a princess sometimes."

"Well, I guess that does sound really nice."

"Good. Cause, tonight, I want to take you out somewhere special." Tony smiled again.

"Thank you, Tony." Sasha returned his smile and sat down with him, not caring that he was all sweaty and smelly.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, that's it. Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites. Thank you for sticking with me while I wrote this and I hope everyone has enjoyed the story.**

 **Again, sorry for killing off Kate :(**


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